Teenagers
by The Hurricane 13
Summary: Jordan Farmer is the perennial new kid in school. Traveling around with his military family he his often the target of bullies. On their last move, Jordan meets Cody Martin. Inspired by the My Chemical Romance song of the same name. Completed.
1. Meet Jordan

**(Author's Note: This story is Rated M because it will be dealing with themes that may not be suitable for younger readers and may be offensive to others such as violence and sexual material and references to homosexuality. If you don't like it or may be offended by it, don't read it. Also, I feel as though it should go without saying considering the name of this website, but I do not own the Suite Life of Zack and Cody or any of its characters. I only own my original characters. That is why this is written on this site instead of airing on the Disney Channel which I also do not own. If I did own it, it would be called the Zack and Cody channel and air nothing but episodes of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and the Suite Life on Deck which I also do not own. I would make Dylan and Cole Sprouse [neither of which I own] very rich[er].)**

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**Teenagers**

**Chapter 1: Meet Jordan**

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The wind was blowing which made it feel much colder than it actually was. The school day was finally over and sixteen-year-old Jordan Farmer was running to catch the bus. He missed the bus yesterday and had to walk home because someone stuck gum in the lock on his locker and he had to have Mr. Kafri, the janitor, come and cut the lock. Today he hoped to make it without incident. Jordan was used to these sorts of incidents by now. His father was in the military and his family moved around a lot because of it. He'd gone to three different schools in as many years. Being the perennial new kid, he often found himself the target of bullies. He also found it hard to make friends. It wasn't because he wasn't likable or that he didn't like the other kids. The problem was knowing that he may have to move again at any time and he had learned the hard way that it isn't easy to say goodbye to friends. These days, he kept mostly to himself out of fear of getting too close to someone. This, unfortunately, made him more of a target for bullies and as a result, he had developed a low self esteem. He became very shy and insecure.

Malvern Junior High School was one of the nicer schools Jordan had attended. In this town, the ninth grade was housed in the junior high with the seventh and eighth grades, even though it was still counted as high school. The campus was made up of three main buildings, the smallest of which was located on the north end of the complex near the parking lot. It housed the administrative offices and the teacher's lounge area. The other two buildings, which held the classrooms, were arranged parallel to each other with their northern ends starting on either side of the administrative building with a large courtyard in the center. At the southern end, each of them had a smaller building. The one on the east side housed the gym and the choir room. The one on the west side held the student cafeteria and the band room. Between these two smaller buildings the area was covered by a metal canopy. The area under this canopy had come to be known as the "wind tunnel" by the students and faculty alike because of its tendency to act like one on windy days. At the very southern end of the complex was the football field with a bus lane between it and the school buildings. That bus lane is where Jordan was headed right now. And he almost made it.

About halfway across the courtyard Jordan felt something trip him. He was running and his momentum carried him to the sidewalk hard and fast. He grunted hard as he landed. His knees and the palms of his hands took the brunt of the fall, but he also hit his head. He could feel the burn of dirt and concrete in his fresh cuts and it took his breath away momentarily. He rolled over and tried to catch his breath. As he did, he could see what had tripped him. He followed the leg from it's Nike cleated shoe, up the black sweat pants, to the football jersey with the number 23, and, finally, the face of its owner, Tommy Bell. Tommy was on the school football team and Jordan's number one aggressor. Right now, he was standing over Jordan's prone body laughing with two other football players standing behind him doing the same.

"Hope you had a nice trip. See you next fall." Tommy laughed as he and his crew walked away. Even in his pain Jordan thought about how juvenile that line was. That word, juvenile, pretty much summed up what Jordan thought of Tommy. He acted very immature and was always spouting off stupid cliche lines like that while picking on other kids. Tommy thought he was a riot. Everyone else thought he was stupid.

Jordan climbed to his feet and dusted himself off. The knees of his pants were ripped and blood stained and he could feel the fresh blood trickling down his legs. His hands had little bits of gravel in them and were skinned up pretty bad, but weren't bleeding as bad as his knees. He reached up to feel his head and didn't feel any blood there. There was already a bump forming where it had hit the sidewalk, but there was no cut. He sighed as he began picking up his school books that had been in his backpack before the fall, but where now scattered all over the ground around him. More of Tommy's handy work no doubt. Once he had gathered all of his things, Jordan made his way as quickly as his cut up and bloody knees would let him the rest of the way to the bus stop. He arrived just in time to see the bus turning out onto the street and leaving him him behind.

Feeling defeated, he sat down on the steps and pulled out his cell phone. He knew he wouldn't get an answer, but he tried to call his mother anyway. When her voicemail picked up, he took a deep breath followed by a long sigh. He gathered up his things and began the two and a half mile walk home.

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**(Author's Note: To give you an idea of what Jordan looks like, when I write him, I picture actor Freddie Highmore.)**


	2. Strange Fantasy

**Chapter 2: Strange Fantasy**

When Jordan finally arrived home, his feet were hurting and he felt like he was nearly frozen to death. He took the house key from under the potted plant near the porch and went inside. He threw his backpack down in the floor and kicked off his shoes. He wasn't in the mood to watch t.v. so he decided he'd get something to eat and go upstairs to his room and do some writing. Jordan kept a secret binder filled with his writing which ranged from stories, to poems, to diary entries. He kept it locked in a small Halo 3 missile case he'd gotten along with the game last Christmas.

He went into the kitchen and found that his mother had left him some dinner in the oven. On top of the counter in the center of the room was a note to him. He opened it up and read:

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_Jordan,_

_Your father is being transferred to another base in Boston, MA. We will be moving this weekend. We won't be home tonight or tomorrow night as we are finalizing the deal on a house in the area. Sorry for the short notice, but the good news is this will be our last move. Dinner is in the oven. See you in two days. _

_Love you,_

_Mom_

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Jordan waded the note up and threw it in the trash. A tear rolled down his face as he thought about having to move again and start all over again. The tears were not of sadness, but of anger. Anger at his parents for putting him through this year after year. The only solace he took was in the fact that he knew this would probably be the last time like his mother said. His father's service time was almost over after a 25 year career. His father was still relatively young, to young to retire, but had decided not to re-enlist. Instead, he planned on getting out and starting his own business. Possibly a restaurant. Jordan was happy at the thought of finally having a place to call home after spending his entire life on the move. He just wasn't happy about being the new kid at another new school when he was still the new kid at his current school. A new school for him only meant new bullies and more ways to get picked on and tortured.

After eating dinner, Jordan went upstairs and took a shower. He peeled his torn pants away from his blood stained knees and stepped into the shower. The hot water burned on the cuts on both his knees and the scrapes on the palms of his hands. He was careful when cleaning them out to make sure he got all of the little pieces of gravel out of the cuts. The water in the bottom of the shower was red with the blood that had flaked off of his legs. Once he had cleaned himself, he relaxed for a bit. He let the hot water run over his body and he felt at ease. After a few minutes, he stepped out. His bedroom on the third floor had its own bathroom so after he dried off, he only put on a pair of boxers. He moved over in front of the mirror and checked himself out. He'd always been self conscious of his appearance and had often been teased about his height. At 5'2" and about 120lbs. he was smaller than most sixteen-year-olds which didn't help his being a target for bullies and people who liked to make fun other people. His medium length brown hair was messed up since he'd decided not to comb it after he stepped out of the shower. He looked himself over a few times before heading into his bedroom. He laid down in his bed and started writing in his secret journal. He wrote about what had happened at school a few hours ago and how much he hated Tommy Bell. He imagined picking up his Algebra book from the ground where Tommy had thrown it and using it to smash Tommy in the face, crushing his nose and smearing it all over his smug little face. He imagined that while Tommy was laying on the ground crying about his broken nose, Jordan would take advantage. In his mind, he saw himself raising Tommy's legs up by the feet and stomping down hard with his own foot, crushing Tommy's testicles. He wouldn't just stop there though. He would continue stomping Tommy's genitals until there was nothing left but a bloody mess.

The thought of beating the shit out of Tommy Bell got Jordan excited. A little more than he'd expected as he realized he had an erection. The thought of crushing Tommy's balls had somehow aroused him. He thought about the sound it would make as his textbook crashed into the bully's face and the sight of blood spraying out onto Tommy's football teammates as he began masturbating. With each stomp to the testicles he imagined himself stomping harder and harder as he stroked himself in pace with the imaginary beating. As he climaxed he could hear Tommy's screams of pain echoing through his mind.

After cleaning himself off, Jordan lay back in the bed thinking about what had just happened. He was confused and a little disturbed by the fact that he'd gotten sexually aroused thinking about beating someone to a bloody pulp. It had never happened before and he hoped it didn't happen again. He did, however feel a strange bit of relief and not just from the masturbation. The imaginary beating he had just given Tommy Bell seemed to set him at peace and give him a sort of closure. He knew that today would be the last time he'd see that asshole anyway since he would be moving this weekend. Jordan decided since his parents weren't home and he was moving anyway, he'd skip school the next two days and do some packing. Most importantly though, he would be avoiding the people at school who had tormented him the entire time he'd lived in this town.

He thought about what life would be like after he moved to Boston and decided that if it was really going to be the last time he had to move, he really hoped to finally make a few friends. That was something he'd never really had, but something he'd always longed for. Hopefully, he would soon get his wish.

**(Author's note: Next chapter should be the introduction to Zack and Cody to the story. Please be patient and I hope you all enjoy. Also, Happy Holidays to everyone.)**


	3. Welcome to Boston

**Chapter 3: Welcome to Boston**

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Jordan spent most of the evening Saturday packing his belongings. Since his family moved so often, he'd learned a long time ago to keep his stuff in boxes just in case so there wasn't much he had to do. Sunday he sat in his room playing video games and watching movies. His mother had left enough money for him to order pizza Saturday night and he had enough to last until she returned Monday morning.

When Jordan's mother returned home, she and Jordan spent the day packing some more items for the movers. She explained to Jordan that their new house in Boston wouldn't be ready for a couple of weeks and the family would be staying in a hotel until then. Jordan needed to gather the things thought he might need or want while in the hotel because the family would not be returning to the old house once they left. He gathered some clothes and a few of his favorite DVDs and packed them in a box with his X-box and games. He loaded the box into the back of his mother's rented Ford Explorer. His mother put a few more boxes in the back and closed the door.

"We will be leaving first thing in the morning," She told him. "You need to use these last few hours to say goodbye to your friends."

"I already have," Jordan responded before going upstairs to spend one last night in this house.

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The next morning, Jordan's mother woke him up at 7:00am. They gathered a few more things and crammed them into the back of the SUV before climbing in and beginning their journey. The trip was almost 400 miles and took a little over 6 hours to make. Jordan and his mother rarely spoke, which was nothing unusual for them, but Jordan made it a point not to say much because he was still angry about the move. They arrived in Boston at a little after 2:00pm and drove to the hotel where Jordan's father was waiting to meet them. As they approached, Jordan could see the hotel from a few blocks away.

The 25-story Tipton Hotel was one of the nicest hotels in Boston. It was also one of the most expensive at $2000 per night. Jordan knew his family could not afford it and assumed it had been paid for by the government or military. When his mother stopped the car in the loading zone, Jordan climbed out and went to the back of the car to get his things. He had to move the other boxes around to get to his own, but he finally got it out and started to go inside where his dad was waiting.

Jordan entered through a revolving door and was greeted by an older man on the other side. He spotted his dad across the lobby at the check in desk and headed over. His dad was just finishing up as Jordan approached and thanked the man behind the desk.

"Room 2332," Jordan's father said as he handed his son a room key, "You can go on up if you'd like. Your mother and I will bring our things up and then we have a dinner meeting to go to. We will be home late so don't wait up. Now tomorrow we are..." His father continued talking, but Jordan no longer heard him. Something across the room and caught his attention and he had completely fazed out everything else.

Standing across the room at the hotel's candy counter was what Jordan had already decided was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. Beautiful tanned skin. Blonde hair. Blue-green eyes. Jordan was awestruck. He was so lost in his thoughts he almost didn't hear his father trying to get his attention.

"Jordan!" His father was starting to raise his voice.

"Oh... uh... yeah. I heard you. I'm going," he said looking up at his father. He picked up his box and started toward the elevator. On his way, he looked toward the candy counter to try and catch a glimpse of the angel that had been there moments before, but they were gone. Disappointed, Jordan climbed aboard the elevator and pressed the button to go to the 23rd floor.

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Throughout the next half hour, Jordan's parents unloaded the rental car and brought their things into the suite. It was a nice suite with a full living room, a large bathroom, a kitchen, and two bedrooms. Jordan finished removing his things from the box and setting them up around his room. After hooking up his X-box, he decided to take a look around and see what else the hotel had to offer. He also wanted to see if he could see the beautiful blonde angel he'd spotted in the lobby again. He wandered around for a while checking out the lobby, the ballroom, and the two restaurants before coming across the hotel's game room.

The game room was filled with various video games and other types of games such as skeeball and one of those basketball games like Jordan had seen at some carnivals and fairs. He decided to stay and play a few games since there wasn't anyone else around at the time and went over to the change machine to break the five dollar bill he had in his pocket. He decided to try the Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe game first. He picked the Joker and started the game. His first opponent was Sub-Zero and Jordan was beaten in convincing fashion. After a few practice rounds, he started getting the hang of it. Finally, about 4 tries and $2 later, he had Sub-Zero beat. The screen went red and the voice on the screen said "FINISH HIM!" Jordan didn't know what to do. Suddenly a voice came from behind him.

"Quick, get over close to him and press back, down, back, toward, toward!" Jordan was a little startled since he didn't know anyone else was in the room, much less watching him, but he quickly did as he was told and watched as the Joker did his fatality on Sub-Zero. "Oh man, that was awesome!" the voice behind him laughed. Jordan turned around to thank the person, but what he saw left him speechless for a moment. "You ok?" the person in front of him asked, obviously noticing the stunned look on Jordan's face.

"Uh... yeah... uh... thanks," Jordan stammered, trying to collect himself and play it cool. It wasn't easy though. Standing right in front of him was the beautiful blonde angel Jordan had been looking for ever since spotting them in the lobby earlier that day...

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**(Author's note: So Jordan is finally in Boston and at the Tipton. I know I had planned on writing Zack and Cody into this chapter, but after several rewrites and re-planning I thought it was best to wait until next chapter. They ****WILL**** be in the next chapter though, I promise. :) Thank you for reading and reviewing.)**


	4. Butterflies

**Chapter 4: Butterflies**

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_"Uh... yeah... uh... thanks," Jordan stammered, trying to collect himself and play it cool. It wasn't easy though. Standing right in front of him was the beautiful blonde angel Jordan had been looking for ever since spotting them in the lobby earlier that day..._

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"My name's Cody Martin." Jordan couldn't help but to stare as Cody introduced himself. Cody... Cody... he kept repeating the name over and over in his mind.

Jordan had wrestled with his feelings for a long time. He had often suspected that he was gay or at the very least bisexual, but had always convinced himself that he wasn't. He already got picked on enough as it was. Being gay certainly wouldn't help his station in life. Nevertheless, the feelings kept coming up and it became harder and harder for him to dismiss. Now, with Cody standing before him, he knew he couldn't deny it to himself any more. Everything about Cody was beautiful to Jordan. His name, his longish blonde hair, his smooth, lightly tanned skin, and his amazing bluish-green eyes. Even the clothes Cody was wearing added to Jordan's attraction to him. Cody was wearing a pair of black and white Converse All-Stars. The Chuck Taylor editions Jordan had seen other kids wear at his old school. He had on dark blue jeans and a white button-down shirt with blue pin stripes that was untucked with a black sweater-vest over it. Cody was about two inches taller than Jordan and a little thinner. Jordan figured they probably weighed about the same. Cody was perfect in every way Jordan could imagine and he was completely in awe.

"Um... are you ok?" Cody asked sounding a little uncomfortable. Jordan quickly realized that he hadn't said anything and that he was staring at Cody.

"Oh... I... I'm sorry. My name is Jordan. Jordan Farmer," he replied.

"Well nice to meet you, Jordan," Cody said having apparently already dismissed the awkward moment. "Where are you from?"

"Well, my family just moved here from Pennsylvania. My dad's in the military and he was transferred here." Jordan said, finally collecting himself. He could still feel butterflies in his stomach and he still couldn't help but look at Cody's beautiful face, but he tried to be more subtle about it.

"Oh, well that's cool I guess. Are you staying here at the Tipton?" Cody continued.

"Um... yeah. We'll be staying here for a few weeks while they get our new house ready."

"Well maybe we'll run into each other then. My mom is the hotel's singer and we live here," Cody said checking his watch. "I really should be going, but it was really nice meeting you."

"Yeah, it was nice meeting you, too," was all Jordan could manage. Cody smiled as he walked away. The most perfect smile Jordan had ever seen. The butterflies were stronger now than before as he watched Cody leave.

After Cody got out of sight and the butterflies began to go away, Jordan realized what had just happened. He was embarrassed by it and could feel himself blushing. Jordan realized that, without any doubt, he was attracted to another boy. He began trying to convince himself that it wasn't true, but there was no use. Confused and embarrassed, he decided to go back up to his room and write in his journal. Writing things down helped him concentrate. He felt that maybe he could figure out the meaning of his feelings. He had had feelings like this before, but never so strongly. He had hoped that Cody couldn't tell.

_"Was I really attracted to Cody?"_

_"Am I really gay?"_

_"How could this be?"_

These were the questions that were dominating his mind as he practically ran upstairs.

_"Did Cody notice I was checking him out?"_

_"WAS I checking him out?"_

He ran in to his bedroom and shut the door and began to write...


	5. Dear Journal

**Chapter 5: Dear Journal**

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October 5, 2008

_Dear Journal,_

_It's been a whole week and I still haven't seen Cody since that day in the game room. I wonder where he is. I start school tomorrow so maybe I will run into him there. Hopefully._

_I'm finally starting to come to terms with my attraction to him. At first I was confused, but now I'm starting to realize more and more that this is who I am. This is who I always have been. I've just never allowed myself to believe it. Seeing Cody opened my eyes._

_I've always tried to avoid making friends, but with this being our last move, I'm going to give it a shot. I'm going to start with Cody the next time I see him. I hope he wants to be friends. Or more..._

_But what if he doesn't? What if he is like all the other kids and makes fun of me or picks on me? No, that's not him. I only spoke to him for a few minutes, but that's all I needed. I could tell he wasn't like that. I could see the kindness in his amazing eyes. I think that was what attracts me to him the most. I mean, sure, he's very good looking, but I've seen other guys that I can now admit that I thought were good looking. Tommy Bell was good looking, but he once punched me so hard I lost a tooth. Cody is much better looking, but he had a very nice look. And the way he was dressed, he must be smart. I'm pretty smart. I wonder if he was gay if he would go for me..._

_To be honest, he's all I can think about. His image has been dominating my thoughts ever since I saw him that day. I've been picturing him at night while I'm in the shower and I jerk off. At first, I felt dirty and ashamed of myself. Now that I'm starting to come to terms with it, I don't feel that way any more._

_I know I have to keep these feelings secret from everyone. People already accuse me of being gay and I already get beat up. If anyone found out I really was, it would only get worse. No one can know._

_I've been home alone since Thursday. Mom is out of town on business and dad has been staying on base. He says he's working on some project. I don't know what it is. He barely talks to me, which is nothing new. I swear I could kill myself and neither of them would even notice until the smell hit them a month later. Even then, they probably wouldn't bother to come check on me._

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Anyway, journal, wish me luck at school tomorrow._

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Jordan closed his journal and placed it back inside the missile case. He went to bed excited about starting school. This was the first time he could remember ever being excited about going to a new school. This was also the first time he could remember in a long time that he actually WANTED pursue a friendship with someone. All of it was based on a short, two-minute conversation in the game room of the hotel a week before. That two minutes changed Jordan's life. He just doesn't yet know how BIG of a change it would be.

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**(Author's Note: Kind of short, but I wanted you to be able to see inside Jordan's head a little. He's a very insecure person who gets almost no attention from his parents. He's been beat up and picked on almost his whole life and because of it, he has very low self esteem. You know, in life, if you hear something enough times, you start to believe it's true. Jordan has been told most of his life (by the kids and the various schools he's gone to) that he was basically worthless garbage. With no parents or friends to talk to, he basically started believeing it.)**


	6. First Day of School

**Chapter 6: First Day of School**

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The day started the same as all the other days Jordan had gone to a school for the first time. His mother, who he saw this morning for the first time in five days, went with him to the office to get his class schedule. After that, she had to leave. She was catching a flight to New York, for another business meeting and couldn't stay for the tour. The school guidance counselor, Mr. Woods, took Jordan around the campus to show him where all of his classes were as well as the library, the gym, and various other points of interest. Afterward, Jordan was introduced to his math class.

The math teacher, Mrs. Brown, went through the usual round of questioning so the class could "get to know" Jordan. Jordan was embarassed, but shyly answered her questions anyway before taking a seat in the back of the class. After he got settled in, the teacher resumed her lesson. There was only a few minutes left of this class, the fourth period of the day, and lunch was next. Jordan hadn't ran into or seen Cody all day was beginning to lose hope that he would. Just as he began thinking of Cody, Jordan felt something hit him hard in the side of the head. The object, which fell into the floor and rolled away, left a sharp pain in the side of Jordan's head. He rubbed the painful area as he looked to find the source of the projectile. The kid sitting to his left was the culprit.

"Welcome to Boston, chump," the kid said laughing along with his friend sitting in front of him. Jordan turned away and tried to ignore them. "Hey, I'm talking to you. Don't ignore me, boy,' The kid who threw the object said quietly. Jordon continued to ignore him. The kid, who was wearing a Sean John outfit, reached under his chair for the object that he'd thrown at Jordan and threw it at him again. This time, the object, which turned out to be a marble, hit Jordan in the neck.

"Stop it," Jordan said, louder than he'd intended as he spun around to face his aggressors. This got the attention of the teacher.

"Drew, come see me before you leave," Mrs. Brown said as the bell rang signaling the end of the period.

"Yes, ma'am," Drew said before turning around to Jordan. "You're a little bitch," he whispered.

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After Jordan finished putting his books in his locker, he went down the the cafeteria for lunch. He hoped to see Cody there and possibly sit with him rather than alone like he did at his other schools. He hoped that Cody remembered him from their brief meeting over a week ago.

After he got his food and paid the cashier, Jordan went into the main dining area and look around for a place to sit. He didn't see Cody so he started toward an empty table near the entrance so he would be alone and still be able to watch people coming in. As he was walking toward his table, a hand grabbed him from behind and stopped him. Jordan turned around and saw Drew and three of his friends.

"Look, crew, it's the little bitch from math class," Drew said to his friends. "Hey newbie," this time addressing Jordan," I hope you're happy."

"For what?" Jordan asked confused.

"For getting me three days of detention," Drew answered. "Now you're going to have to pay up."

"But, I didn't even do anything to you. You threw a marble at me," Jordan pointed out.

"Doesn't matter. Pay up." Drew said, stepping up into Jordan's face.

"I don't have any money," Jordan said.

"Well, then we'll just have to think of something else then. Won't we, crew," Drew said looking back to his friends for support. "Meet me outside behind the gym after school. We're going to teach you who's in charge around here, newbie. Who rules this school."

"I'm not going to fight you," Jordan said.

"Oh, you will or you'll get your little pansy ass beat," Drew said, pushing Jordan's shoulder with one hand, "and if you don't show up, we'll come find you." Drew reached out and grabbed Jordan's lunch tray. "And I'll be taking this, too."

"What's going on?" Jordan heard a familiar voice from behind him. "Give the guy his lunch back."

"I wasn't going to take his lunch," Drew lied as he handed the tray back to Jordan, "I was just messin' with him."

"Yeah right, now get out of here."

"So you got yourself a little back up," Drew said to Jordan as he began to walk away, "for now. You better watch your back, though, newbie."

As Drew and his friends walked away, Jordan turned around to see if a familiar face matched the familiar voice coming from the person behind him. The butterflies he felt that day in the game room at the Tipton returned as he found himself standing face to face with Cody Martin. He even more beautiful than Jordan had remembered and seemed to have gotten a tan during the week since Jordan last saw him. He also had a different scent. Where as last time Cody had a light cologne scent about him, this time he smelled like he'd put on just a little too much Axe body spray. It wasn't a bad smell, but it was a little stronger than Jordan would have liked.

"Are you ok, man? They didn't hurt you did they?" The beautiful voice asked Jordan.

"N... No, I'm fine," Jordan stammered. He could feel himself starting to blush a little and hoped Cody didn't notice. "Thanks, Cody."

"Oh, no. I'm not Cody," the kid said, "I'm much better looking than he is."

"What do you mean?" Jordan asked, realizing for the first time that "Cody" was also dressed differently than last time. Instead of his "casual dress" attire he was wearing last time, "Cody" had on a pair of cargo shorts and a button down shirt with skulls and flames on it. Before "Cody" could clarify, another voice came from behind Jordan where Drew and his friends had been.

"What happened, is everything all right?" Jordan turned around and, to his simultaneous shock and delight, the REAL Cody was now standing in front of him. He was still more tan than before, but this Cody had the right hair, the right clothes, and the right scent.

"Yeah, he's ok. They tried to steal his lunch, though," Impostor Cody said.

"Those assholes..." Real Cody grumbled. "So... Jordan, right? I remember seeing you at the Tipton."

"Yeah. I remember you too," Jordan said a HUGE understatement.

"Well, Jordan, this is my brother, Zack," Cody said pointing to the Impostor Cody. "Zack, this is Jordan."

"Nice to meet you," Zack said sticking his hand out. Jordan accepted and shook Zack's hand.

Jordan was overwhelmed. Now instead of one beautiful blonde angel, there was TWO of them. He couldn't believe it.

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**(Author's Note: It's been a while since I updated this story, but I want to thank everyone who has been following it. Your reviews are much appreciated.)**


	7. Fitting In

**Chapter 7: Fitting In**

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"Where are you sitting?" Cody asked.

"Oh... well... I.... um..." Jordan was still a bit stunned by the fact that the person he had been fantasizing about for the last week had an identical twin.

"You ok?" Zack asked.

"Yeah... I.. I'm fine. Just a bit shaken up by that Drew kid," Jordan answered. "I was going to go sit at that table over there," he said pointing.

"You were going to eat alone?" Cody asked.

"Well... yeah. I don't know anyone here so I was just going to go sit over..." Jordan started.

"Bull crap. Come sit with us," Zack interrupted.

"Yeah, Zack is right. You're welcome to come sit with us if you'd like," Cody added.

_"More than anything in the world," _Jordan thought to himself. "Um... yeah. Sure. Thanks."

"No problem," Cody said as they all started making their way over to Zack and Cody's usual table.

"And thanks for the help back there," Jordan added.

"That was nothing. Drew's an asshole," Zack said.

"Yeah, and Drew won't mess with Zack," Cody said proudly, "not since my brother broke his jaw last semester."

"You broke his jaw?" Jordan asked, impressed, as they took their seats. Each lunchroom table was rectangular with three chairs on each side. Zack took one of the chairs on the end and Cody sat down directly across from him. Jordan hesitated for a moment before nervously moving in and sitting in the chair right next to Cody. Zack went right to work on his lunch, content with letting Cody tell the story of how he had broken Drew's nose.

"Yeah, one day after school we were walking home and Drew and his friends were out front. When we went past them, they started calling me names," Cody started. Jordan looked to Zack who just nodded in between bites. "Zack told them to stop and they came after us. Drew got up in Zack's face trying to get him to fight him."

"And what happened?" Jordan asked.

"Well, I convinced Zack to walk away," Cody continued, "I knew that just the two of us couldn't handle the seven of them. When we turned around to leave, Drew grabbed Zack by the shirt and pulled him back while one of his friends shoved me down on the ground. Drew and the other five circled Zack ready to beat him up."

"The pussy wouldn't fight me by himself. He had to have help," Zack bragged as he poured the small cup of gravy over his lump of mashed potatoes.

"So anyways," Cody started again, "Zack still wouldn't fight so Drew shoved him down on the ground and one of his friends kicked Zack in the ribs as hard as he could." Cody paused for a moment to make sure Jordan was keeping up before continuing. "While he was on the ground, Zack grabbed his math book, jumped to his feet and hit Drew with an uppercut so hard it broke his jaw."

"Wow," was all Jordan could say in amazement.

"It's the only time I've ever found that book useful," Zack said which prompted a laugh from Jordan.

"He's not kidding, you know," Cody said, which also caused Jordan to laugh a little. "No, I'm serious," Cody said. Jordan stopped laughing and looked at Zack who nodded in agreement.

"Oh..." Jordan said.

After Cody's story, the three were joined by a few of Zack and Cody's friends. There was the tall skinny kid with shaggy hair which the others called "Tapeworm," the red headed kid named Bob, and their female friend, Max. Jordan spent the rest of the lunch period smiling and laughing along as the other five friends told him stories. For that thirty minute period, for the first time in his life, Jordan felt like he belonged.

* * *

The rest of the school day flew by in Jordan's mind. He didn't have any classes with Cody or Zack. Cody was in mostly advanced placement classes while Zack was in basic or remidial classes. He did have two afternoon classes with Max and one with Bob, both of which let him sit next to them.

After school, Jordan went back to the hotel and went to his room to write about what an awesome day his first day of school in Boston had turned out to be. It was unusual for him to feel this good after starting at a new school and he liked it. In fact, he'd never felt better.

* * *

**(Author's note: This one is kind of short, but there was more to tell about Jordan's first day of school. The first person who gets the reference in this chapter to one of my other stories can have a character named after them. You have to tell me what the reference was and which story it's from.)**


	8. Who am I talking to?

**Chapter 8: Who am I talking to?**

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That evening, after he finished writing, Jordan ate a couple of sandwiches and then took a shower. After the shower, he tried watching tv, but couldn't find anything he was interested in. Rather than sit in his suite alone and be bored, he decided to go down to the game room. He hoped that he might run into Zack or Cody while he was there. He was still feeling a bit surprised by what had happened at school that day. Drew and his friends were ready to pounce before Zack stepped in. After that, Zack and Cody and their friends had let him eat with them. Jordan was so happy and excited that he forgot about the week that had passed since the day he met Cody. He spent every day waiting, hoping to run into him in the lobby or game room. He had meant to ask Cody where he had disappeared to, but forgot about it in his excitement.

* * *

Jordan passed through the lobby and made his way down the short hallway to the game room. When he got there, he saw what he had hoped to see: one of the twins was on the other side of the room playing the new Street Fighter IV game that had been installed a few days earlier. There was no one else in the room and Jordan stopped for a moment to watch. The blonde Martin twin must have heard him come in though because as soon as he finished the round he was on, he turned around to see who was behind him.

"Oh, hey, Jordan," the blonde kid said, his voice like music to Jordan's ears.

"Hey," Jordan replied. He hadn't figured out which twin he was talking to yet. Zack and Cody both dressed quite differently, but this time, which ever one of them this was was wearing a plaid blue pajama suit. Jordan thought the pajama suit looked VERY nice on whoever it was.

"Wanna play? I'm not very good, but I've been practicing so I can beat my brother," the twin said. "Or we can play something else."

"I'll play, but I'm not very good at it either," Jordan said. "Where is your brother?" He was curious to know where the other twin was, but also thought that by asking, he could get some clues as to who he was actually talking to.

"Oh, he went upstairs to get some more change from our mom. He should be back down in a little bit," the twin replied. This didn't help.

"There isn't anyone else in here. Must not be a lot of kids at this hotel," Jordan noted.

"There actually is, but the game room closed at 8:00. Since we live here, Mr. Moseby lets us come in after hours. It took some convincing, but he figures that the more time we spend in here, the less time we have to cause trouble elsewhere."

"Is it okay for me to be in here after hours?" Jordan asked.

"Should be fine as long as you're with one of us," the twin replied as he put two quarters into the game's slot. "You in?"

"Yeah, I'll play you a few," Jordan said, putting his own quarters into the second slot.

"So what brings you down here this hour?" the twin asked as the fight began.

"Well, my parents aren't home and I got bored. Thought I'd come down and play a few games to pass the time," Jordan replied as his character on screen was getting his teeth kicked in. He had no interest in the game, but decided to play anyway so he could be close to the Martin twin and get to know him better.

"That sucks. Must be tough not having them around much."

"It's okay, I guess," Jordan replied. "Where did you guys go last week? You disappeared. I didn't see you here or at school."

"Oh, we went on a cruise. The S.S. Tipton. It was awesome. While we were on board, we signed up to be considered for an experimental education program called 'Semester at Sea.' You get to spend an entire school semester on the boat touring the world," the twin said excited. "We should find out if we were accepted after this school year ends. Then we have to see if our mom can afford it since there is a fee."

"Well, that sounds cool. Can you sign up for it online?" Jordan was disappointed to hear that the brothers might be going away for the next semester. Even though that was a long time off, he already knew that he didn't want to lose them as friends and, in his mind, possibly more.

"I'm not sure. You may want to check with Mr. Moseby at the front desk tomorrow. He can probably get information on it."

"Oh, okay," Jordan said as his character was finished off and beaten. "By the way, I wanted to thank you and... your brother for helping me at school today and letting me eat with you and your friends. You guys are great."

"No problem. It was nothing really. Drew's an idiot anyway. And you're welcome to eat with us any time. You can be the newest member of our group," the blonde said with a smile that melted Jordan's heart. He caught himself checking out the twin's body. The loose hanging pajamas were just too sexy and Jordan couldn't help himself. As the boy moved, Jordan thought he caught a glimpse of a bulge in the crotch area, but he decided that it may have just been the loose pants bunching up.

"Tha... thank you. I would like that," Jordan said.

"You want to go another round?"

"No, I'm kind of tired," Jordan said, "I think I'm going to go ahead and go back up and go to bed."

"Yeah, it is almost 9:00 and my brother still hasn't made it back yet. Maybe I need to go check on him and see what he's up to," the Martin twin said. "We'll see you tomorrow at school."

"Ok," was all Jordan could say. He wanted to absorb as much of the blonde's presence as he could before they went their seperate ways.

"After school, you need to come hang out in our suite. My mom will be working and we can play games up there."

"I'd like that," Jordan said as he started to walk away. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," the twin said. "And by the way..." Jordan stopped and turned around. "You have no idea who you're talking to do you?" the twin said with a big grin.

"Um... well... no. No, I guess I don't," Jordan said, embarrassed. He could feel himself blushing and was actually ashamed that he couldn't tell.

"Don't worry, you'll figure it out," the twin said. The huge smile on his face made Jordan forget about his embarassment for a moment. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Jordan replied, returning the boy's smile.

* * *

As he was heading back to his suite, thinking about the conversation he'd just had, Jordan realize something that made the embarassment return. "Damn it," he said out loud to himself as he stepped off the elevator onto his floor. He laughed to himself as he realized that, in the last few moments, he hadn't found out who it was that he'd been talking to.

* * *

**(Author's note: I know that in real life, Dylan and Cole are easily told apart. However, for anyone who has ever met a set of twins, it takes a long time to figure out who is who even if they have minor differences in appearance. The character of Jordan doesn't know who Dylan and Cole are and has never met Zack and Cody so for him, they look exactly the same and he hasn't figured out how to tell them apart yet.)**


	9. Friday Night Smackdown

**Chapter 9: Friday Night Smackdown**

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The next four days of school went better than the first for Jordan, in that he didn't have any run-ins with Drew and he got to eat lunch with Zack and Cody every day. The twins had obviously discussed the game room encounter from Monday night as they, along with Max and Tapeworm, teased and joked with Jordan about it all week. He never did find out who he was talking to.

Jordan hadn't seen the twins outside of school since that evening in the game room. Cody had been working on a science project that had been due today and Zack had been grounded. Apparently Cody was terrified of spiders.

During the week, Jordan was invited to the group's weekly get-together. Every week on Friday, the friends would gather at Zack and Cody's suite. They would have pizza or Cody would cook and they would play video games, watch wrestling and movies, and more. Jordan was excited about the prospect of a sleep-over with Zack and Cody. Not only would it be an opportunity to bond with them, but Max and Tapeworm as well. He had never had more than one or two friends at a time, let alone four. On top of that, tonight would be his first sleep-over. Ever.

* * *

After school, Jordan met up with Zack and Cody. Since joining their group, Jordan had started sitting with Zack and Cody on the bus ride back to the Tipton. He secretly hoped his parents would have trouble finalizing the deal on their new house so that he could continue this practice. As Jordan approached Zack and Cody in their usual meeting place, he started to get the now-familiar feeling of butterflies in his stomach. Despite having spent every day with them at school, the feeling hadn't had time to wear off. He was starting to wonder if it ever would.

"Hey, Jordan!" Cody called as Jordan approached. It was much easier to tell the twins apart when they were wearing their school clothes. The cool October air was blowing through Zack and Cody's hair which reminded Jordan of a picture he'd seen in a magazine. They were both good looking enough to be models.

"Zack, Cody," Jordan greeted.

"So, you ready for tonight?" Zack asked

"Yeah, what time is everyone meeting up?" Jordan replied.

"Well, Smackdown comes on at seven so Max and Tapeworm will probably be over about a quarter till," Cody said.

"Tonight, Triple H is fighting the Big Show!" Zack said excited, "I hope Big Show kicks his ass!"

"Isn't Triple H the good guy?" Jordan asked. Jordan wasn't a big wrestling fan, but watched it occasionally. Most of the popular kids at his old schools had watched it and Jordan had hoped that the little bit of knowledge he did have would help earn him some 'cool points.' It never did.

"Well, he is, but Zack and I don't like him. It's almost like they shove him down your throat and try to force you to like him. Probably because he's married to Stephanie McMahon," Cody explained.

"I thought they weren't married anymore," Jordan said.

"That was on t.v. In real life, they're married," Zack explained.

"Oh," Jordan said, embarrassed. He felt stupid on the inside for not knowing. He decided to change the subject before he made himself look any dumber in front of Zack and Cody. "So a quarter till seven. What's your room number?"

"We're in 2330," Cody said.

"2330?" Jordan asked, half surprised and half confused, "Really?"

"Yeah, why?" Zack asked noticing the strange reaction.

"I'm in 2332," Jordan said, "It's literally right next door to you." All three of them looked at each other in stunned silence. Jordan wondered how they could have been right next door to each other this entire time and not noticed. Thinking back, he realized that he had only seen one of twins in the hotel twice. Cody on his first day in Boston and then the encounter Monday night, both of which had happened in the game room.

"Wow," Zack and Cody said in unison after a few moments of silence.

"You mean we've been right next to each other this whole time and didn't even realize it?" Zack asked.

"That's too funny," Cody said, laughing. Jordan didn't think it was funny. In his mind, he could have spent a LOT more time with Zack and Cody if he'd known earlier that they were literally a few feet away from him.

* * *

Later that evening, Zack, Cody, Jordan, Max, and Tapeworm were watching wrestling an enjoying the lasagna Cody had made. Jordan had heard that Cody was an excellent cook, but this was the first time he'd ever actually tasted any of Cody's cooking. He was impressed.

As the show was going off the air, Max and Tapeworm began gathering the dirty bowels and cups everyone had been using and taking them to the kitchen.

"So, what did you think?" Zack asked Jordan, "You gonna come watch the pay per view with us?"

"Your mom will let you order it?" Jordan asked.

"Of course she will. She doesn't have to pay for it," Zack said, "Moseby gives us free pay per views as part of my mom's deal. He says it gives him one less night out of the month he has to see us."

"You get into trouble a lot?" Jordan asked, curious about why Moseby would say something like that.

"Not so much anymore," Cody replied, "We used to when we were younger, but we've calmed down a lot in the last few years."

"Oh, I see," Jordan said, "Well, if you are going to be watching it, I'll be here as long as I'm welcome."

"Sweet," Zack said, "So, Cody... you ready?"

"Not tonight," Cody said, "I'm kind of tired."

"Don't be a wimp," Zack said, "It's tradition."

"A tradition I've never want to be a part of, but you always force me," Cody replied.

"You know you like it," Zack said, "You always whine and complain about it, but in the end you always have fun." Zack took off his t-shirt and tossed it on the floor. Jordan caught himself staring at the smooth, tanned skin on Zack's chest and stomach and secretly wishing the red flannel pajama bottoms would come off next. He also found himself wonder what type of 'tradition' the twins were talking about that involved being topless. "Tell Max to hurry up. She's the ref this time."

"What are you guys doing?" Jordan asked.

"Wrestling," Zack said with a smile before grabbing his brother from behind in a full nelson. Max and Tapeworm re-entered the room. Tapeworm tapped Jordan on the shoulder and motioned for him to move out of the way while he and Max slid Zack and Cody's beds together. Cody struggled to get free, but Zack dragged him over to the combined beds and pulled him up into the middle. Max stood at the edge beside the beds and Tapeworm took a seat next to Jordan to enjoy the show.

Cody continued to struggle, finally breaking free of his brother's hold. He took a few moments to remove his own shirt before going after Zack. Cody grabbed Zack in a headlock and hooked both of his brother's arms behind his back. Zack was able to slip free and twisted Cody's arm around behind him. Cody struggled to get free and was able to grab hold of Zack's ankle and began twisting it. Jordan watched as the two twin angels twisted and turned, rolling around on the beds, the beautiful, smooth, tanned bodies sliding and rubbing against each other. It didn't take long before he realized he had become aroused. Tapeworm was cheering for both brothers, apparently not wanting to take sides. The match ended when Zack was finally able to get Cody into the full nelson again, this time wrapping his legs around to Cody's waist and using them for leverage to put more pressure on Cody's neck and forcing him to quit. As soon as Cody said the word, Zack released the hold and checked to make sure his brother was okay. Then, Zack and Cody shook hands before Cody climbed off the bed and Zack stood up for a victory pose.

"That's so they don't have any hard feelings toward each other," Tapeworm explained about the handshake, "You know, in case one of them gets hurt." Jordan admired the brother's care for one another and wished he had a brother to share those feelings with.

Zack and Cody took a few minutes to catch their breath before Cody headed to the bathroom. He jokingly claimed that he had only quit because he had to pee and Zack was squeezing his bladder.

"Who wants to be the next challenger?" Zack asked as he posed on the bed. His body was now shining with sweat which only caused Jordan to stare even more. At first he was conscious of it, trying to look away so no one (especially Zack) would notice, but now he'd lost control. "Max?"

"You ask me every week and every week I tell you no," Max replied, "I am not going to wrestle you, Zack. You're not going to get me in bed that easy."

"Eew," Zack said in response the Max's teasing. "Tapeworm?"

"Not this week. I'm too tired."

"What about you, Jordan?" Zack asked, snapping Jordan out of his trance. "You wanna give it a go?"

"Huh... I mean... I don't..." Jordan stammered. Zack was looking directly at him now and Jordan hoped Zack hadn't noticed him staring.

"Nonsense," Zack said. "Get up here." Jordan hesitated for a moment, but Max and Tapeworm gave him some encouragement. The thought of rolling around in bed with Zack, especially a sweaty, topless Zack, was enticing and an offer Jordan was finding it very difficult to refuse. Cody came back from the restroom as Max and Tapeworm started a 'Jordan' chant. Finally, Jordan got up to accept.

"You are now officially part of the group," Zack said smiling. Jordan took off his shoes and shirt, leaving him in his socks and blue jeans. He crawled up on the bed and the closer he got to Zack, the more nervous he got. Zack was sweating from his match with Cody and his glistening body was like the holy grail to Jordan. Jordan wanted more than anything to touch it. To feel it. To have it. It was all he had wanted since he first met Zack and Cody. He favored Cody more, although he wasn't sure why just yet, but he would have settled for either of them. Now was his chance. His first, and perhaps only, opportunity to get this close to either twin. "You ready?" Zack asked, oblivious to what was going on in Jordan's mind at that moment. Jordan simply nodded. "Since it's your first time, I'll let you try and take me down first."

With Max, Tapeworm, and Cody chanting his name, Jordan made the first move. He knew next to nothing about wrestling and had never actually wrestled with anyone like this, even just for fun. He moved in on Zack, grabbing him around the waist in a bear hug and pushing him down on the bed. Jordan could feel their bare chests and stomachs rubbing together, the sweat on Zack's body making it a bit slippery. He could also smell the slightly musky odor of Zack's sweaty body and, strangely, he thought it smelled good. Zack hadn't begun to fight back yet and Jordan heard him say something, but didn't process what it was as he was concentrating on Zack's scent and the contact their bodies were currently making.

Zack's sweat was giving him an advantage in that Jordan, despite holding on as tight as he could, wasn't able to get a very good grip. The blonde was able to wriggle himself around turning all the way around in Jordan's arms until his back was to Jordan's stomach. Jordan tried to hold on to him, but his hands were starting to slip apart. Despite his being face down with Jordan on top of him, Zack was able to maneuver his arms up toward his chest and grab hold of Jordan's wrists. He was then able to pull Jordan's hands apart. Now in control, Zack pushed his knees up and was able to roll himself, as well as his 'attacker' over onto their backs. Jordan now found himself on the bottom facing up with Zack on top of him, also facing up. Zack was slightly stronger and began pulling Jordan's hands down away from his chest, toward his waist. Jordan fought to keep his hands up near Zack's chest in an attempt to re-grip them. As Zack pulled, Jordan felt his hands slide across Zack's chest, his fingers slipping past Zack's nipples, down his midsection, and across his stomach. It as then that Jordan stopped feeling Zack's skin, and started feeling the cloth of Zack's pajama pants.

With his hands now down below Zack's waist, Jordan suddenly realized that he could feel Zack's private parts through the thin material his pants were made of. Zack seemed to be completely unaware, still trying to get himself into an advantaged position, but Jordan's hands were now directly over his crotch. Jordan began to get aroused again and, realizing that his own crotch was against Zack's lower back and butt, he felt he needed to get out of the situation as quick as possible. The only way he knew to do that was to stop resisting and let Zack win. As soon as Jordan let go, Zack pushed his arms all the way down, let go of his wrists and flipped over on his side all in one quick motion. Jordan started to get up, but as soon as his back was turned, Zack grabbed him in the full nelson, wrapped his legs around Jordan's waist, and hooked his feet around behind Jordan's hamstrings. Jordan could feel Zack's skin against his back. With his face now closer to Zack's open armpits, the scent was stronger and Jordan began feeling more and more aroused. Zack's feet and calves brushing against his crotch was all it took. Jordan had a full on erection.

Stuck in Zack's grip, unable to move (and honestly, not wanting to move), and fully aroused, Jordan Farmer could no longer hear his three friends chanting his name. He was no longer aware of his surroundings or the smell of Cody's lasagna. He was completely lost in the moment, absorbed in the warmth of Zack's body against his own, the erotic scent of Zack's sweat and the feeling of Zack's flesh rubbing against him. Jordan felt the tingling down below starting to build and by now, there was no stopping it.

Soon, Jordan would find himself in a very uncomfortable situation.

* * *

**(Author's Note: It's been a while for this story. I thank everyone for sticking with it. I'm working on the next chapter at this very moment. Look for it by Tuesday night. Also, please review. Let's me know if you are enjoying it or not.)**


	10. The Crippler Zack Martin

**Chapter 10: "The Crippler" Zack Martin**

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As Jordan began to reach his climax, he realized that having 'full release' on top of Zack and in front of everyone would be quite embarassing. Without realizing it, he began whispering out loud. At the same time, Zack was asking if Jordan wanted to give up.

"You want to quit? You want to give up?" Zack asked.

"No, no, no," Jordan whispered, unaware of Zack's question. "Not right now." Zack, thinking Jordan was answering him, took it to mean Jordan was tougher than he'd thought and continued to apply pressure to Jordan's head and neck. In reality, Jordan was trying to talk himself out of having an 'accident.' Suddenly, he felt a pop in the back of his neck and a few seconds later a sharp pain snapped everything into focus for him like a star ship coming out of hyper-drive. "AAAAH!" Jordan cried out in pain. "Stop! I quit!" Zack immediately released the hold and leaned over to check on Jordan.

"You okay?" Zack asked, just as he had with Cody before. Jordan didn't say anything at first. Instead, he curled up on the bed holding the back of his head and neck. The others could sense something was wrong and gathered around to check on him. "Shit, man, are you all right?" Zack asked again, worried that he'd accidentally done serious damage. After a few moments, the pain subsided and Jordan started to stir. Zack, feeling guilty and still unsure of how bad he'd hurt Jordan, left the bedside area and sat down in a chair with his head down. Cody crawled up next to Jordan on the beds and put his arms around him.

"Are you okay? Do we need to get help?" Cody whispered.

"No, I think I'm going to be fine. I just need to lay here for a minute," Jordan finally replied. Jordan stayed curled up and continued to hold his neck while Cody began rubbing his back to comfort him. Cody's warm embrace comforted Jordan and helped him forget about the fading pain.

"He's going to be fine," Max whispered to Zack who had begun pacing back and forth. She sat him back down in the chair and stood behind him with her arms around him. "Don't worry."

After several minutes of still quietness, Jordan finally rose up. His eyes were teared up from the initial pain. Cody kept one arm around his shoulder and helped him up. "Thank you," he whispered to Cody.

"Don't mention it. Just so you're going to be okay," Cody replied softly.

"I'm good. I just need to go to the bathroom and splash my face with some cool water," Jordan said. As he started to leave the room, he noticed a Zack sitting in the chair and stopped. He reached out his hand to shake Zack's. "I'm fine," he said. "I promise." Zack reached up and accepted the handshake, but didn't say anything. He was still a bit shaken up.

* * *

Jordan left Zack and Cody's bedroom and went to the bathroom to wash his face. It was there that, to his embarrassment, he noticed the sticky mess in his pants. Nearly having his neck broken hadn't been enough to stop the ecstasy of that moment for him. He cleaned himself up as best he could until he was sure no one would notice and splashed some cold water on his face. Like Zack, he was still a bit shaken by the whole thing and, also like Zack, he blamed himself.

_"If I hadn't let myself get caught up in my fantasy, I would have realized I was about to be hurt and could have stopped it,"_ he thought.

* * *

After he finished in the bathroom, Jordan went back to Zack and Cody's bedroom only to find Max sitting alone.

"You good?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jordan replied. "Where'd the others go?"

"Cody and Tapeworm took Zack down to the kitchen to get some ice cream. He feels terrible that he hurt you and they are trying to cheer him up," Max answered.

"I'm really okay," Jordan explained, "I'll have to talk to him when he gets back and make sure he knows that. It wasn't his fault anyway."

"You can't let him live this down though. You'll have to give him a nickname or something. That's what he would do to any of us. 'The Crippler' Zack Martin," she joked in an attempt to break the uneasy tension that had been hanging since the accident.

"Should we really tease him about it?" Jordan asked, concerned, "I mean, he seemed like he was more shaken up by it than I was."

"Teasing him will let him know you're okay and that there are no hard feelings," Max explained. "Trust me."

"Okay," Jordan said, understanding her reasoning.

"So... you met any girls yet?" Max asked, catching him off guard.

"Um... yeah... I mean... what do you mean?" Jordan stuttered.

"You know... you got your eyes on anyone?" Max asked.

"Oh... um... no," Jordan said, catching on to what she was getting at. "Why?"

"Well, I'm just going to come right out and say it. You're cute. Very cute. And... I was just wondering if you maybe wanted to... um... go out sometime," Max said.

"What, you mean... just me and you?" Jordan asked. "Like...a date?"

"Well... yeah. You know... if you want to."

"Um... aren't you dating Zack?" Jordan asked. He had noticed how the Zack and Max interacted with each other after the accident earlier and the rapport they had with each other at other times. No one had said anything about it, but Jordan had drawn his own conclusions and just assumed the two were dating.

"Me and Zack?" Max said, laughing. "No. We are just friends. Nothing more."

"Oh, sorry... I just assumed..." Jordan's voice trailed off.

"No," Max said, "Just friends. So... what do you say?"

"To a date... with you?" Jordan asked nervously. He found Max to be very pretty and she was very nice. Jordan was starting to get very confused because he now suddenly found himself attracted to her. "_How can I be attracted to Zack and Cody AND Max at the same time?" _he thought to himself. Since he started hanging out with the group, he had never even considered Max as an option, focusing instead on Zack and Cody. He knew for certain that Zack was unattainable as he'd see how Zack talked to girls at school and heard the comments he'd make to Cody about certain ones. Despite this, he was still very attracted to Zack and everything about him. His personality, his looks, the whole package. As attracted as he was to Zack, though, he found himself even more so toward Cody. Cody was equally as good looking as Zack, but was the quieter and more sensitive of the twins. He hadn't made up his mind yet about Cody's sexual preferences as, unlike his brother, Jordan had never seen Cody make passes at the girls at school or heard him make comments about them. In fact, as far as Jordan could recall, he'd never heard Cody mention anything about liking girls. This gave him hope.

Now, Jordan found himself twisted and confused on the inside even more than when he first realized and came to terms with the fact that he was attracted to other boys. Never did he imagine that he could be so attracted to boys, as he was with Zack and Cody, and still have feelings for girls, as he now found himself with Max. He knew he still preferred Zack and Cody, but could not shake the attraction to Max. He began to wonder if his feelings for Zack and Cody were just his imagination. _"Boys are supposed to be attracted to girls," _he thought, _"And I am attracted to Max. The Zack and Cody thing must be my imagination. My mind is playing tricks on me."_

"Yes," Jordan finally replied, "That would be nice." He wasn't entirely convinced that he'd made the right decision, but didn't want to hurt Max's feelings. Also, he was afraid that his feelings feelings for Zack and Cody may have just been a phase and that he would soon get over it. If that were the case, he would at least have Max to fall back on. If he had said 'no,' he'd be left with nothing once the Zack and Cody 'thing' passed.

"Good," Max said. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Zack, Cody, and Tapeworm returned from their ice cream expedition, just missing the intimate moment.

"Look, man," Zack started as he approached Jordan, his green eyes full of regret.

"Don't," Jordan stopped him. "I'm fine. No hard feelings. I promise." Jordan gave a smile which Zack returned. Zack started to turn around, but Jordan grabbed his hand and raised it in the air. "Here is your winner... 'The Crippler' Zack Martin!" Jordan announced, which resulted in laughter from the rest of the group. He gave Zack another reassuring smile and nod. Zack nodded back before joining in the laughter.

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_**(Author's Note: Please read and review.)**_


	11. Dear Journal, Part 2

**Chapter 11: Dear Journal, Part 2**

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_October 11, 2008_

_Dear Journal,_

_I'm getting ready for my date with Max. I'm excited about it, but I don't think I've ever been so confused in my life. I think Max is great. She's good looking and she's fun to be around. My problem is, I'm still attracted to Zack and even more so to Cody. In fact, I think my attraction to Zack is fading the more time I spend with the brothers and my feelings for Cody are growing at the same rate. It's pretty clear to me that Zack likes girls and would never go for another guy. Cody though... Cody's a mystery. I haven't seen any solid evidence one way or the other with him. There are things about him that give me hope and it only helps to feed my desire to be close to him as much as possible._

_Anyway, I can't even write an entry about my date with Max without thinking of Cody... Grrr..._

_We're going to see a movie. Her parents are picking me up in about an hour and driving us there._

_I haven't seen my own parents in almost a week. Not a big deal anymore. I'm used to being alone at night. Maybe I can get the guys to come have a sleep over. That would be great without any adults around._

_Last night's Smackdown party was great even though I almost got hurt. It was my own fault. The feeling of Zack's bare, sweaty skin against my own was the most... steamy moment of my life. The warmth of his touch, his scent... everything about that moment was hot. My only wish was that it had been Cody instead of Zack. I'm also glad no one noticed my... accident. I would have killed myself from the embarrassment. My neck was very sore all day, but is starting to feel better. I would relive that moment everyday for the rest of my life, pain and all if I could._

_There I go again, thinking about Zack and Cody..._

_I am beginning to wonder if agreeing to a date with Max was even a good idea. As hard as I am trying to focus on her, I just can't get the Martins out of my head. I hope she doesn't notice. I'll try my best not to talk about them. At first, I thought my attraction to Max was a sign that the Zack and Cody thing was just a phase. Something was wrong in my head, but now I was over it. I was excited. Now I'm not so sure. Now, I think my attraction to Max while still having feelings for Cody just means I'm even more fucked up in the head that I thought. I wish there was someone I could talk to about this. Someone who could help, but there isn't. I'm just so confused._

_I have more friends that I ever have before and yet I've never felt more alone in my life._

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_**(Author's Note: First of all, sorry about the long delay between updates. It's summer and I've been extremely busy at work. I work at a hotel next to a popular Lake Resort. We are sold out tonight, but they all checked in yesterday, so I finally have time to write. Anyway, this chapter is short, but the substance of it is more important that the lenght. You get an idea of the conflict inside Jordan's mind and his struggle to find and come to terms with his sexuality. You also get another look at how lonely he is and the absense of his parents. I want to thank everyone who reads my stories, especially those who give me feedback.)**_


	12. Revelation

Chapter 12: Revelation

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Jordan's date with Max was going very well so far. They had gone to the movies to see 'Eagle Eye' starring Shia LeBeouf. After the movie, Max's parents took them to Paulie's Pizza Shack for a late dinner. It was almost closing time and the place was mostly empty. The dimly lit dining room smelled of cigarette smoke and the television was turned up too loud on Fox News Channel. The checker board pattern on the tables were frayed and full of holes and tears, but Paulie's pizza was the best in town and one bite could make a person forget about the dingy conditions. Max's parents allowed her and Jordan to sit alone in their own booth so they could talk. Jordan hadn't thought about Cody in almost three hours, a record since he'd met the Martin boy. That was about to change, though.

"Man, I'm going to have to tell Zack and Cody about that movie. I think they'd like it," Max said. The mention of Zack's name, but especially Cody's caught Jordan by surprise.

"Uh... yeah. I think so, too," he stammered trying to think of something better to say.

"You really have hit it off with them haven't you?" Max asked.

"Uh... yeah. I guess so," Jordan said. For the first time since he'd left the hotel, Jordan was thinking about Cody. About his blonde hair and perfect lips. His scent. He stopped himself short when he realized where his thoughts were taking him. _"What am I doing?" _He thought to himself. _"I'm on a date for God's sake! How can I think about Cody?"_

"Is something wrong?" Max asked interrupting Jordan's thoughts.

"Uh.. no... no, I'm fine," Jordan stuttered.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Zack and Cody are great friends. You're lucky to have met them," Max started. Jordan was beginning to feel uncomfortable after realizing that he had been fantasizing about Cody. "We have a lot of fun. I mean... when they're not arguing with each other that is," Max let out a little chuckle on the last part.

"What do you mean?" Jordan asked.

"Well, just like all siblings, they get into it sometimes. You know how you when you spend so much time with someone you get into arguments about silly stuff sometimes," Max explained.

"Not really."

"Well, being twins, Zack and Cody are even closer than most siblings so they can get into some pretty good arguments. We all get a kick out of it most of the time," Max laughed.

"Like what? I mean... what are some things they've argued about?" Jordan couldn't help but ask. If he couldn't be with them, he could at least enjoy talking about Zack and Cody.

"Little stupid stuff most of the time. Like when Cody was living in the closet. That drove Zack crazy," Max continued. This caught Jordan's attention. The idea that Cody had been living in the closet was of great interest to him. At this point, he had completely forgotten that this was supposed to be a date.

"You mean... Cody was in the closet?" He asked.

"Yeah," Max answered, not realizing what Jordan meant. "I'm not sure how long he'd been living in the closet by the time I found out about it, but once word got around, it didn't take long for me and some of his closest friends to talk him into coming out."

"You were able to talk him into coming out of the closet?" Jordan asked. Jordan's misunderstanding of Max's story had now firmly planted the idea that by Cody 'coming out of the closet' meant that he had admitted to his closest friends that he was gay. What Max was actually referring to was an argument Zack and Cody had once had about Zack keeping their shared bedroom too messy. Cody had had enough and packed up his things and literally moved into a coat closet.

"Yeah, it wasn't that hard really. A few of us got together with him and told him how silly it was and he came right out." Max's failure as a story teller now had Jordan in a haze. He suddenly felt overwhelmed on the inside with emotion. All this time he had been keeping his developing feelings from Cody and he didn't have to. Cody was gay too. Or... at least that was his interpretation of the story. He suddenly felt an adrenaline rush as the joy of this news swept over him. He made up his mind right then to tell Cody how he felt. Even if Cody didn't share those feelings, at least he was someone who would understand what Jordan was going through. "Um... you okay?" Max asked. Jordan didn't realize that he hadn't said anything in several moments. He was also starting to sweat in nervousness.

"Yeah, sorry," was all he could muster. His mind was suddenly flooded with thoughts of being with Cody. Since Cody's friends already knew he was gay, they wouldn't have to hide it from them.

"They're about to close," Max's father said from across the room. His booming voice jolted Jordan back to reality. He realized Max was staring at him with a confused look on her face.

"You can't be zoning out on our date, man," Max said, half joking, half serious. That's when Jordan realized he needed to let Max in on his secret. It wasn't fair to lead her on and she would eventually find out anyway.

"Um... about that..." he started.

"What?"

"Well... there's something I have to tell you. Something I didn't realize until just now," he continued.

"What is it? Is everything okay?" Max asked, concerned.

"Max... I... I think you're great. But I want you to know right now before we get to far into this that it's not going to work," Jordan explained as best he could. "I'm sorry."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, like I said, I didn't realize it until now, but..." he stopped not sure of what to say next.

"But... what?"

"Well... I'm just going to say it. I've got... feelings... for someone else," he said finally. The news didn't surprise Max. She had been rejected by enough guys that she had actually come to expect it. In fact, the only surprising part about it was that it took this long in their date for it to happen. Not being surprised didn't mean that it didn't upset her though. With each rejection, Max's self esteem got smaller and smaller. She had began to wonder if she would ever be in a happy, meaningful relationship. On top of this, it made her bitter and angry.

"Is it someone I know?" Max asked, breaking the awkward silence that had taken over.

"Well... yeah," Jordan started, "it is. Your the first person I've told this to. I... have a huge crush," Jordan got more nervous with each word, "... on Cody."

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**(Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long. Summer time is the busiest season at the hotel I work at. Now that peak time has passed, I should be updating much more regularly. Thanks to everyone who has waited patiently. The story that Max tells is from and episode of The Suite Life. I forget the title, but hopefully you all remember the one I'm talking about. Obviously Max didn't give enough details. What will be the fallout from Jordan's revelation to her? Find out in the next chapter! By the way, the person who the bully in the first chapter is based on [Tommy Bell]] was a real person who tormented me the last couple of years of high school. He ended up beating the crap out of me with a tree limb one time and left me laying in the woods a bloody mess. Anyway, long story short, I found out that he shot and killed himself yesterday [8/29/09].)**


	13. Vendetta

**Chapter 13: Vendetta**

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The next few moments were filled with awkward silence as Max tried to process what she'd just heard and find a way to react to it. Jordan was getting more and more uncomfortable by the second as he thought for the first time about how Max may react. He regretted telling her his secret before he'd even finished saying it. What had really only been a few seconds, seemed to both of them like hours as each of them thought about the revelation and what it meant. For Jordan, it mean that his deepest and most closely held secret was now in the hands of another person who could do with it whatever they wanted. For Max, it meant she had been turned down by yet another guy, but this time there was a whole new twist in the plot in what she saw as "_The Story of My Life_."

At first, she wanted to laugh. The more she thought about it, though, the more hurt and angry she became. _"Am I really SO undesirable that a guy would rather go gay than date me?" _she thought to herself. Finally, she decided what to say.

"That's so sweet!" she faked with a smile. This wasn't the reaction Jordan had expected.

"So... you don't think I'm weird?" he asked shyly.

"No. Why would I think that?" She asked. It had occurred to her that her telling of Cody's time literally living in the coat closet had be mistaken by Jordan to mean the figurative meaning that Cody was gay. Her emotional pain from being shot down again was taking over and making her do something she'd never felt a strong desire to do until now. She was going to get revenge.

"Well... because..." Jordan said, still feeling insecure, "I'm a... and he's a... you know..."

"Jordan," Max said smiling, "this is 2008, man."

"Thanks," he said, beginning to feel more sure. Max's parents were getting up from their table to leave and the restaurant's lone bus boy had already began putting the chairs up onto the tables. Normally this was a sign that someone planned to mop, but as far as Jordan could figure from the sticky floor, it had been a while since anyone had actually done it.

* * *

The teens joined Max's parents as they exited the restaurant. Stepping out of the cloudy, smoke-filled dining room onto the sidewalk, Jordan took a deep breath of fresh air for the first time in about an hour. He felt a sense of relief. Not just from getting out of the smoke, but he felt he now had someone to talk to about his feelings for Cody. Telling Max about his secret and getting her reaction was like having a huge weight lifted off of him. In a way, it was just like stepping out of the smoke and into the fresh air.

* * *

Nothing was said on the ride back. It had been a long evening and everyone was getting tired. As Max's father pulled up to the Tipton Hotel, Jordan began stepping out. Max's parents both told him to have a good night. He thanked them for the evening and then turned to Max. "Um... about what we talked about," he whispered.

"Don't worry," she said, "I'm not going to say anything." She and Jordan exchanged smiles as Jordan started to walk away. "Hey," Max called causing him to turn around. "You need to talk to him. Don't be afraid. You never know."

"Thanks!" Jordan called back. He waved back to Max as her mom pushed the sliding door closed and the van pulled away. It was starting to rain as Jordan stood on the sidewalk watching the van leave. He hurried into the lobby and began his trip back up to his suite for the night. Little did he know that Max's encouragement was actually a plan to hurt him. She wanted him to feel the same rejection and humiliation that she had felt each and every time she had been stood up or turned down. She was taking every failed relationship she'd ever had out on him.

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**(Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for sticking with it. Also, thanks for the reviews of the last chapter. This story is very close to reaching it's climax. Things about to start getting VERY interesting. Hope you're all ready!)**


	14. Dear Journal, Part 2 and a half

**Chapter 14: Dear Journal, Part 2.5**

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October 11, 2008

Dear Journal... again,

An update on my earlier entry. The date with Max tonight went much better than I could have ever hoped. Her parents were great, the movie was really good. I didn't care for that restaurant, but the food was pretty good I guess. Anyway, that's not the most important thing. After me and Max talked, I found out that Cody is gay! This is great! I no longer feel ashamed of my feelings for him knowing that there is a very real possibility of being with him. I told Max my secret, too. I thought she'd hate me for telling her on our date, but she seemed genuinely happy for me. She even said I should talk to Cody and see what happens. I don't think I would have had the courage if if weren't for her advise. Now I just have to pick the right time. I'm going to invite everyone over to my suite tomorrow night for a sleepover. School's out Monday for inservice so I shouldn't have a problem getting everyone and Mom and Dad won't be home so I'll be able to show everyone a great time! Then, I'll tell Cody when the time is right and I can get him alone. I've never been so excited before. I think I'm happier than I've ever been! I'll keep you up to date. Right now I gotta get some sleep!

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**(Author's Note: Very short chapter, but necessary to bridge the events of the last one to the next one.)**


	15. Sleep Over

**Chapter 15: Sleep Over**

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It was now Sunday night and Zack, Cody, Max, Tapeworm, and Jordan had just finished watching a movie called "_The Chaos Demons_" in living room of Jordan's family's suite. The suite was bigger than Zack and Cody's. The living room and kitchen were separate rooms and there was a hallway that lead to the suite's two bedrooms and the bathroom.

"Man, Boo Boo Stewart is SO hot!" Max said as the credits started to roll. Jordan had been thinking the same thing himself from the first moment the young actor was shown on screen as the character Taschen.

"I don't know about that, but he sure did kick ass!" Zack chimed.

"I read his bio earlier on Wikipedia and it says he did all of his own fights and stunts for the movie," Cody added. "He's some kind of martial arts champion on top of being a singer AND an actor. So cool!" Jordan wondered to himself if Cody had thought Boo Boo was hot too and if that was why he had looked up the star's Wikipedia page.

"Everyone close one eye. I'm turning on the light," Tapeworm said as he crossed the room. When he flipped the light on everyone groaned as their eyes adjusted to the light. "I warned you!"

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After everyone's eyes stopped hurting, Zack and Max left the room to get a drink from the kitchen and Tapeworm went to the bathroom to pee leaving Cody and Jordan alone for a few minutes in the living room. Jordan was sitting on the sofa and Cody had been sitting on the floor leaning back resting against it. Jordan watched in silence as Cody crawled across the floor to the DVD player. He wondered if now would be a good time to talk to Cody since they were alone. He watched as Cody took the DVD out and put the next one in. When he was finished, Cody stood up to stretch with his back still to Jordan. Jordan couldn't help buy examine Cody's form, the blonde boy's loose pajamas hanging over every curve and outlining every shape of his body. As Cody stretched his arms straight up, Jordan imagined what it would be like to run his hands under Cody's top and rub them up Cody's back, down the sides, and around to the perfectly smooth, hairless stomach and chest on the other side. He imagined caressing Cody's abs before slipping his had down, past the belly button, and into the waistband of Cody's blue sleep pants.

"You okay?" Cody's voice snapped Jordan out of his trance. He hadn't realized that Cody had turned around and had apparently caught him staring. As he tried to think of what to say Cody did a quick shake of his head to one side to flip his hair, which had been dangling down over his face, back into position.

"Uh... yeah. Why?" Jordan stammered.

"You looked like you were zoning out over there," Cody laughed as he made his way back to his spot in front of the sofa.

"Oh... I was just thinking about how great that movie was," Jordan lied.

"Yeah, it was pretty good," Cody said. "I read that they've already started planning the sequel."

"That'll be cool," Jordan said.

"So what's next?" Zack asked as he and Max came back from the kitchen.

"I'm pretty tired myself," Max said, "It's almost 12:30."

"I thought you wanted to watch_ Iron Man_," Cody said.

"I did, but I won't be able to stay awake," the girl responded. "I think I'm going to go ahead and go to bed."

"Actually, guys, now that you mention it, I'm pretty tired myself," Zack said, rubbing his eyes.

"What about you Jordan?" Cody asked.

"I'm fine," Jordan answered, seeing an opportunity to spend more alone time with Cody. "Where's Tapeworm?" After checking the bathroom, Zack and Max looked inside Jordan's bedroom and found Tapeworm already asleep in the floor. He had apparently laid down and was reading a magazine when he dozed off.

"Great, I'm the only one who's wide awake," Cody said disappointed.

"No, you're not," Jordan was quick to respond, "I'll stay up with you to watch_ Iron Man_."

"So now that we all know what we're doing, can you show me where I'm sleeping?" Max said, starting to get annoyed.

"Well, I figure since you're a girl, you'll need a bed by yourself so you can have my mom and dad's bed. Don't worry, I don't think they've been in it once since we moved here. Since Tapeworm has already claimed the floor in my room, one person can have my bed. The pull-out bed in the couch can fit the other two." Jordan explained.

"Well, since you and Cody are going to stay up and watch another movie, do you two have any objections to me taking Jordan's bed and you two sharing the pull-out?" Zack asked.

"I don't have a problem with that," Cody said. The whole world slowed down around him as Jordan suddenly realized that these arrangements meant he would be sleeping in the same bed with Cody. Since moving to Boston he had dreamed almost nightly of what it would be like to be able to get that close to Cody. He had imagined every detail. The scent of Cody's soft, blonde hair. The warmth of Cody's body pressed up against him as he gently wrapped his arm around...

"Jordan!" Zack's voice snapped Jordan out of another trance. "Snap out of it, buddy," Zack laughed as Jordan jumped in surprise.

"I'm sorry," Jordan said. "I was thinking about something. Did you ask me something?"

"Do you have a problem sleeping in the same bed with Cody?" Max said. She gave Jordan a knowing look and smile.

"Uh.. no. Not at all. I... I mean, as long as you're okay with it," Jordan said to Cody, trying not to sound too eager.

"No, I'm fine with it. We can watch _Iron Man_." Cody answered.

"Great, now show me to my bed," Max demanded, "before I pass out right here."

"I'll get the movie started," Cody said as Jordan pulled himself up from the sofa.

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Jordan led Max into his parents' bedroom. The room had several forms of luggage and moving boxes stacked in the corners and in the closet. The bed, which had been unslept in since before the Farmer's checked in, was neatly made and the scent of apple cinnamon was drifting through the room from a Glade Plug-in near the television. The room had a small private washroom with a sink and mirror for guests to brush their teeth and wash their faces in. Max looked around before sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Do you know where the towels are?" She asked, "I want to wash my make-up off."

"Uh.. no... not really." Jordan replied. "I think they're in here." He turned and opened the door to a small cupboard next to the sink. There were towels in it, but there was something else laying on top of them that caught Max's attention.

"Holy shit, is that a gun?!" she exclaimed louder than she'd planned.

"Shh," Jordan scolded, "Yes, it is. It's my dad's. He always keeps a loaded gun around. He thinks someone is going to break in or something."

"It's loaded?!" Max said, again too loud.

"Yes, but be quiet. The others don't have to know about it." Jordan said. He picked the shiny M1911 pistol up to get Max a towel and then gently put it back in it's place.

"Be careful with that thing," Max whispered loudly.

"Don't worry, my dad made me take safety classes. I know how to handle it," Jordan said. He tossed Max her towel and started to leave the room.

"This is your golden opportunity," She said quietly. "You're gonna be all alone with Cody. Sleeping in the same bed with him no less."

"I know." Jordan said, suddenly feeling nervous. He hadn't put much thought into just what he would say if given the opportunity to talk to Cody alone. Now he was faced with that very opportunity and was starting to get cold feet. The fact that he would be sleeping with Cody made him even more nervous. He never would have thought that such a moment would ever present itself and now he wasn't sure he'd be able to go through with it.

"I bet you're excited," Max teased.

"Goodnight, Max," Jordan said, trying to avoid having to talk about it.

"Goodnight," she replied, "and Good luck."

"Thanks," he said with a smile, "for everything." She returned his smile as he turn out the door, closing it behind him. He took a deep breath and started back down the hall toward the living room. The only light left in the suite was the glow of the television. Zack had already gone to bed leaving Jordan all alone with Cody. As he reached the end of the hallway and entered the dark living room, Jordan saw that Cody had already put the DVD in and started it. Not only that, but Cody had already pulled the bed out of the couch and was lying under the cover watching the previews and waiting for Jordan to join him.

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**(Author's Note: I wanted to give a shout-out to one of my favorite authors, Kulmanari. His stories, "The Chaos Demons" and "Reflections in Time" are two of my favorites and his writing puts my best work to shame. Everyone should check it out. I also wanted to shout-out to LodyLodyLody and the story "Two Brothers and a Pop Tart," but I couldn't find a way to work it into the story so here it is. It's another great story that everyone should check out. Boo Boo Stewart is a real person. You can Google him if you want. I can't really think of anything else. Thanks for all the reviews and thanks for everyone who keeps reading my stories.)**


	16. Jordan's First Kiss

**Chapter 16: Jordan's First Kiss**

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"I figured it would be more comfortable this way," Cody said as Jordan reentered the living room, "I hope you don't mind."

"No... no, it's fine," Jordan said nervously.

"Well, I'll start the movie whenever you're ready," the blonde boy said. The previews had finished and a image of Iron Man filled the screen with different menu options below and video clips rotating around him. Jordan peeled back the covers and started to climb in beside Cody. "If you want, one of us can sleep on top of the blanket or at the other end of the bed," Cody offered.

"No, we don't have to," Jordan answered, "I mean... unless you want to."

"I fine with whatever you want." Cody said.

"Well, I wouldn't want either of us to get cold and I don't want you to have to sleep with my feet in your face..." Jordan was trying to make excuses.

"Okay," Cody chuckled. "You make a good point." Jordan climbed into the bed and rested the blankets on top of himself. He could feel the warmth of Cody's body mere inches from his own. A few seconds in and he was already starting to get aroused. Cody pushed play to start the movie and leaned over the put the remote control in the floor beside the bed. "I hope this is as good as everyone said. Zack and I didn't get a chance to see it in theaters," Cody said as he settled back in.

"I'm sure it will be," Jordan replied. The movie started with AC/DC's "Back in Black" playing. Jordan could feel Cody tapping his foot to the beat under the cover. He had hoped to be able to talk to his secret crush before the movie started, but didn't have a chance and didn't want to delay their watching of it since it was getting late. He decided to wait until the movie was over and tell Cody then.

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Jordan woke up hearing the sounds of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man." He yawned and rubbed his eyes, unaware of just how long he'd been out. When he looked at the tv and saw the credits rolling, he realized he'd fallen asleep during the movie. He looked to his left in the faint light to see that Cody, too, had fallen asleep. Jordan examined Cody's beautiful face, the boy's blonde hair was normally well kept, but had become messy as he slept. Cody was laying on his right side facing Jordan and his mouth was open slightly has he breathed in and out slowly and deeply. Jordan look around on top of the blanket for the remote, before remembering that Cody had put it in the floor. Not wanting to wake his friend, Jordan slowly and gently climbed out of the bed. He walked quietly around to the other side, behind Cody, and found the remote and turned off the DVD and the television. Then, he went into the kitchen for a drink of water. He turned on the small light above the stove so he could see and left it on as he made his way back to the bed. On his way, he spotted the thermostat on the wall next to the refrigerator. An idea popped into his head and he turned the temperature down as low as it would go. Keeping the room extra cold would ensure Cody stayed under the blanket and would help Jordan's chances of getting very close. Feeling a little dirty, but satisfied that his plan would work, Jordan crawled back into the bed next to Cody.

Cody seemed to be in a deep sleep and was unaffected by Jordan's movements. Jordan decided to test just how deep Cody was sleeping. He leaned over onto his left side getting almost face to face with the boy of his dreams, reached over slowly with his right hand and lightly touched Cody's forehead. When Cody didn't respond, Jordan gently slid his hand across the sleeping boy's face, brushing his soft, golden hair to the side. Cody continued his slow, steady breathing. Jordan whispered Cody's name and there was still no response. He whispered a little louder and when there was still no response, he said out loud, "Cody, are you awake?" Nothing happened.

Jordan rolled back over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He was disappointed that he'd lost his opportunity to talk to Cody and would now have to wait. He reached his hand under the cover to adjust his erection into a more comfortable position. He looked over to Cody, who was so peaceful and more beautiful than ever. Jordan pulled his hand back out of the blanket and placed it lightly under Cody's chin. He caressed Cody's soft cheek with his thumb. Then, he slid his thumb slowly across Cody's bottom lip. Jordan was amazed that none of this seemed to cause any reaction or disturb Cody in any way. He continued softly rubbing Cody's cheek and lip, getting more turned on with each passing second. In the heat of the moment and feeling empowered by the fact that Cody was pretty much dead to the world, Jordan decided to push the limits and see just how far he could go.

Jordan rolled back over onto his left side facing Cody. He started with more gentle caressing of the cheek and lips. When he became confident that he could move further, he stopped his thumb on Cody's chin. His heart began to pound as the adrenaline started to flow. Cody's mouth was still open and Jordan slipped his thumb between the boy's soft, pink lips. He felt the teeth and the warm, moist breath coming from beyond them. Not wanting to take a chance on ruining what he planned to do next, he moved his hand away from Cody's face and slipped it back under the blanket to feel his own, now-throbbing erection.

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Jordan had never been known to take many chances, particularly ones where the likelihood of getting caught were this high, but the adrenaline rush and the erotic feeling of being this turned on had taken over causing to him to lose any inhibition that would normally stop him from doing something like this. He leaned in close to Cody's gorgeous face, mere inches away. He could feel Cody's warm breath dancing across his own face. His heart was beating so fast and so hard he thought it might jump right out of his chest or worse yet, the Cody would hear it and wake up. It didn't stop him though. He was this close to his dream lover, he wasn't going to stop now. He leaned in closer, now directly face to face, hesitated for a moment, and then did it. Jordan kissed Cody right on the lips, the sleeping boy's mouth was open just far enough that Jordan was able to slip is tongue in and feel the moisture and taste the heaven that was the inside of Cody's mouth. When his own tongue brushed against Cody's, he almost lost it down below. It wasn't the perfect kiss by any means since Cody wasn't kissing back, but Jordan had never felt more alive and excited. In fact, this was his first kiss.

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The kiss didn't last long. For the first time, Cody began to stir. Jordan released the kiss and quickly rolled back into position, his heart pounding at a painful rate for the fear that he'd just been caught. Much to his relief, though, Cody did not wake up. The blue-eyed angel groaned and mumbled something Jordan didn't understand before rolling from his side to flat on his back. Except for the pounding in his chest, Jordan remained quiet and still for the next few moments until he was sure Cody wasn't going to wake up. Then, he slowly rolled back onto his side facing Cody and moved his right hand under the blanket and laid it on Cody's stomach. He took a moment to feel the slow rise and fall with each breath Cody took before slipping his hand under Cody's shirt. He savored Cody's warm, smooth skin as he gently rubbed the boy's chest and stomach. Cody's loose sleep shirt gave him no resistance making it easy for him to map out every inch from the belly button, across the abs, to the chest and nipples. He made his way back down to Cody's stomach and, without thinking, carefully slipped his hand under the waistbands of both Cody's sleep pants and his boxers. He held still for a moment to check and make sure Cody wasn't going to wake up. Cody didn't have much hair anywhere on his body, but the little bit of peach fuzz he did have growing in his pubic area was very soft and fine. Jordan gently rubbed if letting it tickle the palm of his hand. Once he was satisfied that he was clear to proceed, he moved his hand down further into Cody's boxers. He got a feel of Cody's privates, but as he did, he suddenly felt embarrassed and ashamed. For the first time during his exploration of Cody's body, he realized that what he was doing was wrong. He quickly pulled his hand out of Cody's pants and rolled back over to his side of the bed. He stared at the ceiling as the embarrassment at what he had just done washed over him. It didn't last long, though, as his mind began to drift into the fantasy of what might have happened had Cody actually woke up.

Soon, Jordan found himself rubbing his penis. Not wanting to make a noticeable mess in the bed, especially with Cody right next to him, he reached down to his left foot and pulled his sock off. He slipped the sock over his erection and began to masturbate. Images of Cody's naked, beautiful body danced through his mind as he put his right hand over his mouth and nose and took a deep long breaths in, soaking up the remaining scent of Cody's bare skin until there was none left and the only thing he could smell was the sweat from his own palm. As he reached his climax, he imagine his own naked body pressed against Cody's until they were almost one in the same. The stimulation and excitement from what he'd just done made this the most powerful climax Jordan could ever remember having as he exploded into the sock.

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After taking a minute to clean up, Jordan slipped the sticky, wet sock into his pocket so no one could find it in the morning. Then he got himself comfortable enough to relax and let sleep's warm embrace overtake him. As he drifted off, the peaceful after-glow of his sexual release began to wear off and his mind once again became occupied with thoughts of the sleeping figure next to him.

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**[Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for reading and for all the kind reviews. This story is headed into the home stretch now. Hopefully I can hit a home run. Let me know what you thought of this chapter. Needless to say, it was very difficult to write. Especially since I'm at work ;) ]**


	17. Manipulating the Truth

**Chapter 17: Manipulating the Truth**

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Monday morning, everyone woke up around the same time. Having no school meant that they could all sleep in and the last person, Zack, woke up close to noon. Cody made everyone breakfast and while the group was eating, they discussed how they should spend their extra day off.

"We could play truth or dare," Max suggested. Jordan thought he saw a mischievous look in her eye, but let it pass without much thought. Max had asked him at the first opportunity if he had talked to Cody the night before and seemed disappointed when he told her that he hadn't. He wanted to take his time and make sure he was comfortable. Max, however, seemed really anxious for him to do it as soon as possible.

"That's dumb," Zack said, "Truth or dare is for girls. Call your friends and have a slumber party if you want to play truth or dare."

"What have you got to hide?" Max fired back.

"You probably don't want to know," Cody said smiling. "I used my twin telepathy on him once and had nightmares for a month."

"You know, Cody, I think instead of waiting until Raw tonight, I'll go ahead and take you down right now," Zack threatened, jokingly.

"You just can't wait to break someone else's neck can you," Cody shot back, teasing Zack.

"I'm never going to live that down am I?" Zack said, defeated. The rest of the teens got a good laugh at Zack's expense.

"I think I'll probably just go home and meet you guys back here tonight for Raw," Tapeworm said.

"That's probably what I'll do too," Max said. "Why don't we all go our own ways and meet back up here tonight for Raw."

"Are you sure you guys have to leave?" Jordan asked, "I don't want to be stuck here by myself all day."

"Don't be silly," Zack said, "You can hang out with us. Right, Cody?"

"I don't care. I don't have anything planned until 3:00," Cody said.

"What's at 3:00?" Max asked.

"Yay Me." Cody answered, referring to the web show he produced starring hotel heiress, London Tipton.

"Right," Max said. "You get to go cross dress and put on make-up."

"She doesn't make me do that stuff anymore," Cody said annoyed. Jordan was interested to hear about Cody's cross-dressing endeavours and made a mental note to ask Max about it later.

After the group finished their breakfast, Max and Tapeworm made phone calls to be picked up and soon went their own ways. Zack and Cody invited Jordan to their suite to play video games until Cody had to leave for "Yay Me." Jordan agreed, but told the twins he would meet up with them in about half an hour. He wanted to write in his journal about what had happened in the bed with Cody the night before while it was still fresh in his mind.

* * *

Later that evening, the group met back up at Jordan's suite to watch WWE Raw. While they were chatting before the show, Jordan looked for an excuse to be alone with Max.

"I'm about to go down to the vending machine. Max, do you want to come?"

"Right. To the 'vending machine,'" Zack teased making air quotes.

"Shut up, Zack," Max scolded. "Yes, I'll come with you. Anybody else want anything while we're going?"

"Take it easy on the Hershey's Kisses," Zack said. Jordan had thought that his date with Max had been kept a secret due to how it ended.

_"If she told them about our date, what else has she told them?" _Jordan wondered to himself. As soon as they got into the hallway away from the others, he started to question her. She cut him off before he even got a word out.

"Don't worry," Max said, "I didn't tell them your secret."

"What did you tell them. I thought we weren't going to tell them about our date."

"I didn't," she replied, "Zack's just messing with us. He doesn't know anything."

"Good," was all Jordan could say.

"When are you going to talk to Cody?"

"I don't know. Why are you in such a hurry for me to?" Jordan was starting to get slightly annoyed by Max's continued pressure to talk to Cody since he'd let her in on his secret.

"I just don't want you to wait so long that he ends up being taken," she lied. "A great guy like Cody isn't going to be available forever."

"I guess your right," Jordan said. "I just don't know how to go about it. I guess I'm scared."

"Don't be," Max assured him, "just get him alone, sit him down, and tell him. Trust me."

"I just don't know..."

"You're thinking about it too much. What's the worst that could happen?" Max was getting so caught up in her own plot for 'revenge' that she herself hadn't even thought the consequences through. She hadn't considered how the eventual rejection would effect Jordan, how it would effect Jordan's friendship with Cody and the others, how it would effect her OWN friendship with Cody and the others. There was no way she wouldn't get caught yet none of this had even crossed her mind.

"I'll think about it," Jordan said.

"I'm giving you until the Halloween dance to 'think about it.' If you don't talk to him, I will do it for you." Max said.

"Why don't you just do that anyway? It would make things SO much easier." Jordan asked.

"I was kidding. It needs to come from you." Max said.

"Okay, how about this then. If I can't find the courage to do it myself by the Halloween dance, you talk to him for me."

"Okay, but you need to do it before then. Don't wait," Max agreed.

"One more thing," Jordan said.

"What?"

"You mentioned earlier that Cody cross-dressed and put on make-up. What's that all about?"

"Well, Cody used to model women's clothes for London's web show and he also used to let her demonstrate make-up techniques on him. Cody has always had a thing for dressing up like a girl. He even once entered a beauty pageant."

"A beauty pageant? Really?" Jordan couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Yep, you can ask him about it yourself." Max said, smiling. While what she was saying was true, she had left out key details such as the fact that London had to force Cody to wear women's clothes and make-up, often bribing him with money, or the fact that he entered the beauty contest to try and get close to a pretty girl he had a crush on.

While they were chatting, Max and Jordan had already reached the vending machine and made their way back to the suite. When they entered the room without any snacks, Zack couldn't help but to laugh and tease them. "I knew it! I knew it!" he declared.

"Shut up, Zack!" Max said, showing off her fist. Zack continued giggling, albiet quieter, as the Papa Roach's '...To Be Loved' came on the television accompanied by the WWE Raw opening video.

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**(Author's Note: The Truth or Dare reference is a shout out to LodyLodyLody and her story "The Truth Comes Out." I wanted to get it in the last chapter, but couldn't find a place for it. It works here though. I am working on a chapter for WoundedHearts and LodyLodyLody's Halloween compilation that could possibly tie in to this story so be on the lookout for that. Other than that, thanks for reading and I'll see you next chapter!)**


	18. In the Ally

**Chapter 18: In the Ally**

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The next day after school, Jordan was walking home from the bus stop alone. Zack and Cody had been picked up by their mother for a doctor appointment. He still hadn't figured out how to approach Cody about his feelings and the thoughts of how things might play out were occupying his mind as he made his way past Paul Revere's Mini Mart around the corner from the Tipton Hotel. He was concentrating so hard, in fact, that he didn't hear the person approaching him from behind. Suddenly, Jordan felt someone jerk his backpack so hard that he fell backwards. He tried to catch himself, but ended up landing flat on his butt. Before he even realized what was happening, Jordan felt himself being dragged by his backpack into the ally next to the Mini Mart. As he was being dragged, he dropped the books he had been carrying while trying to free himself from the backpack's straps. Finally, he came to a stop against Paul Revere's dumpster and his attacker step around in front of him.

"What's up, little bitch?" Drew said with a smirk, cracking his knuckles. "Did you think I forgot about you?"

"What do you want?" Jordan said, struggling to straighten up his shirt and backpack.

"Don't talk back to me you little punk. That's disrespectful," Drew fired back, "You don't have back-up today. I won't hesitate to kick your faggy little ass right here in the ally."

"I didn't do anything to you. What do you want?" Jordan asked. He started to stand, but Drew put his foot against Jordan's head and pushed him back down against the dumpster.

"Sit your ass down. I didn't give you permission to stand up," Drew said. "I just wanted you to know I haven't forgotten about you and make sure you haven't forgotten about me. You better watch your back you little bitch. Next time I catch you by yourself, you won't be so lucky." Jordan sat silently looking up at Drew and could feel the hatred boiling inside him. He wanted nothing more than to shut the bully up once and for all, but new that he was at a disadvantage at the moment. "You eyeballing me?"

"No. Just leave me alone," Jordan's voice cracked as he began to get more upset.

"What did I say about disrespecting me?" Drew said taking a step closer to Jordan. "You going to cry little baby?" Drew noticed Jordan's eyes welling with tears and his face turning red and mistook these as signs of sadness. They were, in reality, signs of hatred. "Answer me!" Drew yelled, leaning down within inches of Jordan's face. Jordan said nothing, choosing instead to spit in Drew's face.

Drew rose up and wiped the spit from his cheek with his shirt, never taking his eyes off of Jordan. "Big mistake," he whispered. With that, Drew kicked Jordan in the face as hard as he could, busting his nose and causing his head to snap backward against the dumpster. "Don't fuck with me!" Drew yelled, "And if you tell anyone about this, I'll kill you!" He then turned and walked away, heading back to the Mini Mart where his grandmother was shopping.

* * *

Jordan sat silently against the dumpster for nearly an hour. Once his nose stopped bleeding, he dried the tears in his eyes and stood up. His head was spinning and throbbing in pain as he did. Looking down he could see that his shirt was covered in blood. Not wanting to draw too much attention to himself, he took the shirt off and threw it in the dumpster. Then, he slowly made his way over to his scattered books and gathered them up before walking around the corner to the hotel.

* * *

When he made it back to his suite, Jordan first went into the bathroom and cleaned himself off. His nose was in a lot of pain. So much pain that he hadn't noticed the cut on the back of his head where it had hit the dumpster. He could feel the cut and hoped no one had noticed his bloody, red hair on his way through the hotel. He took off the rest of his clothes and climbed into the shower, letting the warm water wash over him. He rested his head on his arm against the shower wall and just stood there until the water started getting cold. When he couldn't handle the cold water anymore, he turned it off and stepped out onto the bathmat. After he dried himself off, he wrapped the towel around his waste and slowly walked with his head down (as it had been since he left the ally) to his bedroom and sat down on the bed. He reached behind him to the stack of books he had been carrying and felt for his journal. When he came up short, he turned around for a more thorough search, but still didn't find it. He picked his backpack up from the floor and unzipped it to search, but still couldn't find it.

"No!" he said out loud to himself as a feeling of panic rushed over him. Thinking back, Jordan remembered putting four books into his backpack. All four of them, his math book, his Spanish book, his civics book, and his English book were accounted for. He also remembered that he was carrying five other books. He turned to the stack and went through them. His thick, loose leaf notebook used for his health class, his health book, his copy of Jurassic Park, and his physical education notebook were all there. The journal was missing and there was only one place it could have been.

As the realization that all of his deepest, darkest secrets were now in the hands of his worst enemy started to sink in, Jordan flung the backpack and it's contents across the room and pushed the four remaining books off of the bed into the floor and screamed. He jumped to the head of the bed, buried his face in his pillow while ignoring the fierce pain in his nose, and screamed again as loud as he could into the pillow. He continued screaming into the pillow until he couldn't scream anymore and then cried himself to sleep.

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_**(Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay between chapters. I have these spurts were I'm VERY busy and it's really hard to find time to write as much as I'd like. Thanks to everyone who continues reading and reviewing. I had meant to get a chapter in to LodyLodyLody and Woundedhearts' Halloween Compilation, but just didn't have time so I apologize if any of you were looking forward to that. Anyway, thanks again for reading and let me know what you thought of this chapter.)**_


	19. There's something I need to tell you

**Chapter 19: "There's something I need to tell you."**

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When Jordan Farmer woke up on the morning of Wednesday, October 15, 2008, he already knew he was going to be having a bad day. There was just no way he could have expected just how bad that day was going to turn out to be or how it would effect the rest of his life. He slowly climbed out of bed and got ready for school with an intense feeling of dread hanging over him. His journal, which he had written in every day for the last several years and which contained his deepest and darkest thoughts and secrets was now in the hands of the school's most notorious bully, Drew Gambol. A kid who had nearly broken Jordan's nose the day before. Jordan knew he had to get his journal back as soon as possible, hopefully before Drew read any of it, as unlikely as it was that he hadn't already. The worst part and the thing Jordan hoped to prevent the most was that if Drew had, in fact, read the journal, it was only a matter of time before news spread of Jordan's homosexuality and, worse, his huge crush on Cody Martin.

When he got to school, Jordan looked everywhere for Drew, but came up short in his search. The good news was, no one was laughing at him... yet. Nevertheless, Jordan kept looking until the first bell rang and he had to go to his first class. His first two classes were a blur. Jordan was unable to pay attention to anything the teachers were saying to him. All he could think about and concentrate on was the journal and whether or not Drew had spilled any of his secrets yet. That nervousness and anticipation kept building as the day went on and by the time Jordan reached his fourth period math class, he could barely hold it together. This class was an important one. Not because of the subject matter, but because it was the last class before lunch and, more importantly, it was Jordan's only class with Drew. This was the moment of truth. Jordan felt faint as he took his seat in the back of the class room. He stared intently at the empty desk on the front row where Drew normally sat (so he could be close to the teacher and kept out of trouble). When the bell rang to start the class and the teacher entered the room and closed the door, Drew's seat was still empty. Jordan had never felt so relieved in his entire life. It was as if the weight of the world had been lifted off of him, at least for now. Even though Jordan knew that Drew was probably sitting at home at that very moment reading the journal and learning everything there was to know about Jordan Farmer, the fact that Drew wasn't at school bought him at least another day to find the bully, retrieve the journal, and try his best to convince Drew not to tell anyone his secrets. Jordan knew it would be hard, but he had to try. The damage that would be done if those secrets got out would be bad not just for Jordan, but potentially for his friends as well and he didn't want to be responsible for causing them any trouble or pain.

Jordan was able to breathe easy for the rest of his math class and looked forward to spending lunch with his friends, especially Cody. Jordan decided that he needed to talk to Cody before Drew came back to school. He wasn't ready, but knew he needed to tell Cody about his feelings first, before it made it's way through the rumor mill.

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As he made his way through the lunch line, Jordan scanned the room for signs of Cody and the others. Finally, he spotted Zack, Max, and Tapeworm at their usual table and headed over.

"Where's Cody?" Jordan asked as he took his seat.

"Cody's not here today," Zack replied.

"What? Well... where is he?" Jordan tried his best to hide his anxiousness.

"He's with the geek club. They went to Larry's Pizza for lunch with Mr. Merritt." Zack answered, oblivious to the urgency with which Jordan was asking his questions. Max, however, caught on.

"Is something wrong?" Max asked.

"Uh... no. No. I just needed to talk to him about something very important." Jordan said, hoping Max would pick up on what he meant.

"Oh." Max said, giving Jordan a knowing look.

"Well, after lunch, they were headed to the science museum," Zack said in between chewing his bites of chocolate cake. "Mom and I are picking him up there after school, but you can talk to him when we get back."

"Oh... okay..." Jordan said, disappointed. He knew there wasn't anything else he could do except wait. In the meantime, he decided to try to get help from someone he trusted. "Max, can I talk to you outside for a minute?"

"Uh huh," Zack said teasing. "You guys go outside and talk." He made air quotes while saying "talk" and had a sly grin on his face.

"Shut up, Zack." Max said getting up from the table.

"What? Why don't you two just confess your love for each other and get it over with?" Zack teased.

"I said shut up!" Max said, punching Zack in his shoulder.

"OW! Okay! Jeez!" Zack's pain caused Tapeworm to laugh. "What are you laughing about?" Zack said, trying his best to look angry and keep himself from laughing. Max was still standing over him glaring. Clearly she didn't think it was funny. "Sorry," Zack said looking up at her and seeing the seriousness in her eyes. "Go talk." As Max and Jordan were leaving, they could hear Zack and Tapeworm whispering and giggling to each other.

* * *

Once outside, Jordan and Max moved to an area where there wasn't very many people. The school had several picnic tables outside so students could eat in fresh air. This time of year, though, the tables were mostly empty due to the cold.

"What's going on?" Max asked taking a seat at one of the tables.

"I have a major problem," Jordan said. "The short version is, Drew Gambol has my journal. I've written nearly every thought, hope, dream, wish, and secret in it for the last few years. That includes all the stuff about Cody."

"How did he get it?" Max asked concerned.

"That's not important now. I HAVE to get it back and I have to find away to keep Drew from telling the whole school my secrets. I know it's too late to stop him from reading it, but... I just... I don't know..." Jordan was starting to break down. Max could see the tears forming in his eyes and felt sorry for him. "That's why I needed to talk to Cody. I wanted to tell him about my feelings before it got around to the whole school. I don't want him to have to find out that way." Jordan could no longer hold back and began crying. Max leaned over and put her arm around him and let him rest his head on her shoulder. Seeing Jordan so upset had a genuine effect on Max. She tried to hide it, but she felt her own tears beginning to well up. It was what came next that REALLY effected her though.

"This is probably going to ruin our relationship before it ever starts," Jordan said sniffling before burying his face back in Max's shoulder. These words hit Max like a knife through the chest. Throughout the last week, it had never occurred to her just how strong Jordan's feelings were for Cody. She had gotten caught up in her own revenge plot and had completely missed the bigger picture. Because of her, Jordan actually believed he had a real shot at being with Cody. Now things were getting bad. Drew had Jordan's journal and Max knew that Drew was exactly the type of person that would read it in front of everyone. There was no stopping it. Cody was going to hear about Jordan's feelings for him one way or the other and that would inevitably lead back to her. At that moment, she felt that the entire situation was her own fault. She also realized that there was no getting out of the storm that was surely headed her way.

"Jordan..." Jordan raised his head and wiped the tears from his eyes. "There's... there's something I need to tell you..."

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**(Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming. I'm really glad you guys are enjoying this story!)**


	20. Coming Clean

**Chapter 20: Coming Clean**

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Every word of Max's confession hit Jordan like a punch to the stomach. All he could do was sit and listen as she detailed how she had lied to him about the whole thing to get back at him for dumping her on their first date. How she had been turned down, overlooked, or thrown away by guy after guy and how Jordan's rejection had hurt her the most since he was turning her down for another boy. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. As she spoke, Jordan stopped crying. He stopped being upset over the missing journal. He was now numb as the realization set in that his situation couldn't get any worse. If he thought things were bad before, now he knew that all of the trouble that was surely coming was based almost entirely on a lie. Sure, his journal still would have detailed his coming to terms with being gay and his strong attraction toward Cody and that would have been bad enough, but now... now it had turned into something a lot worse.

Max finished talking and could tell by the look on Jordan's face that he wasn't taking it well. Several moments passed where neither of them said anything. Jordan's expression never changed and it was beginning to make Max feel uncomfortable.

"Say something," Max whispered. Jordan remained silent. "Jordan..."

"I have nothing to say to you," Jordan interrupted. Max began to cry as Jordan stood up and began walking away. The full effect of what she had done was starting to sink in and she was overwhelmed with sorrow.

"You have to tell Cody," Max managed between sobs. Jordan stopped for a moment, but didn't turn back, instead staring down at the ground in front of him. "I know you hate me and you don't want to listen to anymore, but you have to tell Cody before he hears it from Drew," she pleaded. As much as Jordan hated the sound of her voice at that moment and as much as he hated Max herself with every fiber of his being, he knew she was right. He needed to go straight to Cody after school and tell him everything and deal with whatever reaction may come. It would be better that way. Even though he now knew Cody wasn't gay, Jordan still cared a great deal for the youngest of the Martin twins, and needed to prepare him for the shit storm that was fast approaching.

"I'm so sorry," Max sobbed as the school bell rang signaling the end of lunch. Without saying a word, Jordan headed back into the school leaving her alone on the picnic bench crying.

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The rest of the school day went by fast. Jordan was present in each class in body only as his mind was glued to thoughts of Cody, how he was going to react, and just what exactly Jordan needed to say to him. He boarded the school bus in a daze and took his seat at the back of the bus. He was exhausted from all of the stress brought on by the recent events and wanted nothing more than for it to all be over.

* * *

As the bus arrived at the Tipton, Jordan got off and headed straight for the Martins' suite. Once there, he knocked on the door and waited for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the door came open and Jordan was relieved to find Cody standing on the other side.

"Hey," Cody greeted. "Everything okay?"

"Not really," Jordan said, "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," Cody said, "Let me tell my mom where I'm going." Cody disappeared into the suite for a moment and Jordan could hear him talking to his mother. When Cody returned, Jordan lead him next door to Jordan's own suite. Once inside, Jordan invited Cody to sit on the sofa across from him. The same sofa that had been pulled into a bed a couple of nights earlier and where Jordan and Cody had shared a kiss. A kiss that Cody was unaware had occurred. "What's up?" Cody asked as he got settled in.

"I have something really important to tell you and I'd prefer that you wait until I'm finished before you respond," Jordan started, "This isn't going to be easy for me to say and it's not going to be easy for you to hear."

"Okay," Cody acknowledged.

"I just wanted to let you know that... that I'm gay," Jordan began.

"Dude, I'm totally okay with that," Cody started.

"No, there's more," Jordan said, cutting him off. He was relieved to hear that Cody was okay with him being gay and hoped that the next part would go as smooth. "I've had a huge crush on you since we first met that day in the arcade. My feelings for you have grown more and more each day. Every moment I spend with you has been torture because I've wanted nothing more than to be with you. I've dreamed about it, I've fantasized about it, and I've written about it in my journal." Jordan paused to try and get a read on how Cody was taking this news, but so far the beautiful blonde seemed to be taking it rather well. "This is where it gets really complicated though. The other day on my way home, Drew Gambol attacked me in the ally beside Paul Revere's Mini Mart. I was carrying my books, including my journal and when he attacked me, I dropped them."

"He attacked you?" Cody spoke up for the first time with concern for his friend. Jordan was happy that, despite the awkward topic, Cody still seemed to care about him as a friend. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine, but that's not the important part," Jordan said. "When I got home afterward, my journal was missing." He paused again to make sure Cody was processing what he was saying. "Drew has my journal." Jordan noticed that Cody was beginning to show signs of being uncomfortable with where this was all going. "It gets worse."

"I'm not sure how it could get much worse than that. If Drew has your journal, he's going to tell everyone he can about everything you've written," Cody said.

"I know and that's why I wanted you to hear it from me first," Jordan explained. "But it DOES get worse. You guys don't know, but me and Max went on a date last weekend. I ended up telling her about my crush on you. I guess it hurt her feelings and she told me that you were gay, too. When Drew reads my journal, everyone is going to think you're gay." Jordan waited for a response from Cody, but Cody didn't say anything. Jordan thought he could read a bit of anger in Cody's eyes. "Do want to say anything?"

"I'm not sure what to say to all that," Cody said after thinking about it for a moment. "I mean... that's... just... I don't know."

"I understand if you're upset and I'm sorry. I never meant for you to be hurt, I care too much about you," Jordan said, "That's why I wanted you to hear it from me first instead of from Drew or the rest of the school." Cody winced at the thought of a rumor about him being gay spreading through the whole school. "Please tell me you're okay," Jordan pleaded.

"I'm..."

"Cody, I can't tell you how sorry I am about all of this. You have to believe me. Cody, I love you." Jordan regretted saying it even before the words finished coming out of his mouth, but was unable to stop himself.

"You what?" Cody asked. "You love me?"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that," Jordan said

"Did you mean it?" Cody asked, the anger seeming to fade. "I mean, why would you say that if you didn't mean it?" Jordan thought about it for a moment before responding.

"Yes... I guess I did."

"Jordan... you understand that I'm not... you know..." Cody asked.

"I know, but... I just..."

"You just... what?" Cody asked. Jordan was surprised at the calmness in Cody's voice as he seemed genuinely interested in hearing what Jordan had to say.

"I just wish... I mean... couldn't you at least... try?" Jordan finally said with his head hanging. Cody was silent and Jordan was worried about what his reaction would be to such a question. When Cody didn't say anything Jordan finally looked up. When their eyes met, Jordan saw a softness in Cody's eyes that he had never seen before. Jordan wasn't sure what it meant at first, but for the first time since talking to Max earlier that day, he had hope.

Jordan leaned slowly toward Cody, careful not to move too fast in case Cody reacted. When Cody kept looking into his eyes, Jordan took it as a sign of acceptance and leaned closer. When he was a few inches away, he saw Cody close his beautiful eyes. That's when he made his move.

At first, Cody didn't kiss him back. It felt just like the kiss from the sleepover. After just a few seconds though, Cody began kissing back. It was awkward at first and Jordan could tell that Cody still seemed unsure, but it didn't take long for them to find their groove. As they got more and more into it, the two teen boys wrapped their arms around each other and Jordan began gently rubbing Cody's back. Then, he slid his hands slowly around to the front and under Cody's blue, button-down shirt and felt the familiar softness of Cody's stomach and chest. He felt himself getting more aroused than he had ever been as his dream was finally coming true. He began unbuttoning Cody shirt, taking it slow. Once the buttons were undone, Cody finished taking the shirt off, breaking the kiss for the first time. Jordan gently kissed Cody on the neck and collarbone before moving slowly down toward his chest, stopping briefly at the nipples before going even lower toward Cody's stomach, rubbing Cody's back and chest the entire time. Cody's eyes remained closed as he took the experience in. Jordan stopped kissing for a moment and looked up. Cody looked down and their eyes met as he gave Jordan a brief nod. Jordan unbuttoned Cody's pants and undid the zipper as Cody rose from the sofa enough to pull them off.

Cody laid down on the sofa as Jordan began pleasuring him. He closed his eyes and Jordan could feel his breath getting deeper and deeper as things progressed. While still working on Cody, Jordan set about removing his own pants. Soon he, like Cody, was down to only his boxers.

Jordan could feel the pressure building inside of Cody. As he continued orally stimulating the boy of his dreams, Jordan could hear Cody, now breathing very heavily, begin whispering his name. Jordan rose up and kissed Cody again and then lowered himself down, guiding Cody inside him. As their bodies became one, Cody's whispers got louder as he began reaching climax, but as they got louder, they also seemed to be changing in pitch. At first Jordan didn't notice, but just as he was about to feel Cody's release inside him, Cody yelled his name again and this time, a completely different person's voice came out.

* * *

"JORDAN!" Jordan jumped, startled at the booming voice. "This is your stop."

Jordan looked around groggily trying to figure out where he was. "Cody?"

"What? Wake up, boy. Unless you want to ride back to school." Jordan looked up and saw Mr. Harris, the bus driver standing over him. To his great disappointment, he was still on the bus. He was breathing heavily and was soaked with sweat. He got up slowly, still a bit drowsy, and gathered his things before getting off the bus.

As the school bus pulled away, Jordan stood on the sidewalk in front of the Tipton wiping the sweat from his face and forehead. He could feel a warm stickiness in his boxers, but was relieved that it wasn't showing through his pants. He took a deep breath and let out a long sigh before going into the hotel to find Cody.

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**(Author's Note: Thanks again for all of the reviews. We're getting close to the end. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Also, if anyone is interested, you can follow me on Twitter. I'm thehurricane13. Thanks again for reading!)**


	21. Coming Clean, Part 2

**Chapter 21: Coming Clean (For Real This Time)**

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Jordan knocked on the Martins' door and, just like in his dream, Cody answered.

"Hey," Cody greeted Jordan with a smile that almost made Jordan forget why he was there.

"Hey."

"Everything okay?" Cody asked. Jordan could tell Cody knew something was wrong.

"I'm fine. I just need to talk to you in private if that's okay," Jordan said.

"Sure, hang on a sec," Cody went back inside while Jordan stayed in the hallway. He could hear Cody inside telling Zack he'd be back in a few minutes. Then he heard the twins whispering to each other and couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about. Soon Cody returned and closed the door behind him and followed Jordan next door to the Farmers' suite. Once inside, Jordan invited Cody to sit on the couch and offered him something to drink. "No, thanks. I'm fine." Jordan took his place on the other end of the couch. "So... what's up?"

"I just really need to talk to you about something very important, but first I need you to promise me that you won't get mad," Jordan started.

"Well... I mean... I'll do my best, but that really depends on what it is," Cody said nervously. "Is this about Max?" Jordan was stunned. What did Cody know about Max? Had she told him everything already?

"Um... sort of... I mean..." Jordan stuttered, "Why, what did she say to you?"

"Well, she didn't say anything," Cody explained, "but Zack said that you two went outside and had a talk during lunch today and that when she came back in after you left, she was crying. No one could get her to say what was wrong though." Jordan was a bit relieved.

"Well... it's complicated and it's a long story. I'm going to do my best to explain it to you," Jordan said. He waited for a moment to give Cody a chance to respond and when the blonde didn't say anything, Jordan continued. "There's really two parts to this and I'm not really sure where to start. This is really hard for me to talk to you about."

"It's okay," Cody said, "Take your time."

"Well, you see... the thing is..." Jordan had never been so nervous in his entire life. He could feel himself shaking a little and hoped that Cody didn't notice. He was also starting to sweat. "Well... you guys didn't know this, but Max and I went on a date." Cody didn't seem surprised and Jordan figured that, like Zack, Cody just assumed he was dating Max. "During our date, Max and I were talking and... well... I told her something that I haven't told anyone else until now. It's really my deepest secret, but... I need to tell you."

"It's cool. You can tell me anything. You can trust me," Cody said calmly. This helped ease the tension in Jordan's mind and made him a little more comfortable with what he was about to say.

"Basically... I'm gay," Jordan said, relieved that that part was finally out of the way. Now all he had to do was brace himself for Cody's reaction. Cody thought about it carefully, trying to find the right words before responding.

"Jordan, there's nothing wrong with that," Cody said finally. Jordan couldn't help but to think that this was going very well so far. Almost as well as in his dream on the bus. "I'm really honored that you think enough of me to share that with me. It shows that you really must trust me and that means a lot. Thank you. And I just want you to know that I'll be here for you if you ever need to talk about anything. I'll help you as best I can." Cody's words touched Jordan, but it made the rest of what he needed to say harder.

"You're not surprised by that?"

"Well... yeah... I guess a little," Cody said, unsure of how to answer the question properly, "but like I said, it's not a big deal to me and I'm glad you felt you could share that with me."

"Thank you, Cody," Jordan said, trying not to break down, "but that isn't all."

"You can tell me anything," Cody said putting his hand on Jordan's shoulder. The physical contact with Cody made Jordan more nervous, but he knew he needed to get it over with.

"Well... I also told Max that... ever since I met you..." he paused and considered backing out and letting things play out on their own. He knew he couldn't do that though. "Ever since I met you... I've liked you."

"Well... I like you, too," Cody said, not catching what Jordan meant.

"No... I mean... I LIKE you like you. I've had a crush on you, Cody," Jordan said. He expected to feel relief like he did when he said he was gay, but this time, that feeling never came. In fact, his heart was racing as he anticipated Cody's response.

"Oh..." was all Cody could say. Jordan could see this shift in Cody from calm and caring to awkward and uncomfortable. Still, he knew he had to keep going.

"There's more," he said, "I have a journal where I write things. All things. All of my thoughts, my hopes and dreams, my nightmares... everything." Cody nodded still seemingly unsure of what to say. "I wrote in it about you... alot."

"What kinds of things?" Cody asked even though he wasn't sure he really wanted to know.

"That's not important right now because this is where I tell you the bad part."

"There's a bad part?" Cody asked, his nervousness building almost as much as Jordan's.

"Yes. Two things. Number one, when I told Max I had a crush on you, she told me you were gay, too," Jordan started.

"What?" Cody said surprised. "Jordan... I'm not..."

"I know. At least I do now. She said I was rejecting her for another guy and I guess she wanted to hurt me in the same way when I finally told you how I felt and you ended up rejecting me. She confessed everything to me at lunch today, that's why she was crying, but the problem is, I wrote about it in my journal."

"How is that a problem?"

"Because... Drew Gambol has my journal." Jordan said finally. Cody was speechless. "He attacked me in the ally and I dropped it and when he left, he picked it up." Jordan waited for Cody to say something, but young blonde could only sit with his mouth hanging slightly open with a look of complete confusion and shock on his face as he tried to process what he had just been told. "Cody... I'm sorry. I can't tell you how sorry I am, but it's really not my fault. Max told me you were gay too and that just made it worse. If she hadn't told me that, things wouldn't have gotten this far. I mean, Drew would still have my journal and he would still know I was gay and that I had a crush on you when we met, but I never would have written about you being gay, too. You have to believe me. Max told me you liked to dress up in London's clothes and wear make-up. She even told me that you had been living in the closet..." As Jordan talked he began crying and with each word, it kept building until he couldn't hold it back anymore. Cody still hadn't said anything and the expression on his face hadn't changed. "Please say something," Jordan sobbed.

"I... I don't know what to say to that..." Cody said, "I mean... what is there to say... I just... that a LOT to have to digest..."

"I know, but you have to believe me when I tell you that I didn't mean for this to happen," Jordan said, managing to pull himself back together for a moment.

"You realize that Drew is not going to keep this stuff to himself, right? And I have a hard enough time at school as it is, even with Zack around," Cody said with a hint of anger. "I mean... This is bad..."

"I know and that's why I wanted you to hear it from me first, before it got around at school," Jordan said. He saw Cody wince when he mentioned things getting out at school. After staring silently at the floor for a minute, Cody stood up from the couch. "What's wrong? Where are you going?" Jordan asked.

"I just... I need some time to think about all of this..." Cody said. "I'm sorry... I'm not mad at you. I just... I have to go." Cody then left the room.

Left alone, Jordan started thinking about what had just happened. Cody said he wasn't mad, but Jordan wasn't sure if that was really the case. He also wasn't really sure how things could have gone any better outside of the fantasy he had on the bus, but he was sure that it could have gone a lot worse. Still, though, he wasn't happy with how things ended. The tears returned as he thought about Cody's reaction and the way he had left. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that Cody was angry and would likely never speak to him again. The thought of that happening made him even more upset. He went into his bedroom and laid face down on the bed and, for the second night in a row, Jordan cried himself to sleep.

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Cody returned to his own suite in a daze. As he passed through, his brother asked what Jordan had needed to talk about. Cody told him that now wasn't a good time, but that he would tell Zack everything after he had some time to think. He then went into his bedroom and laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling and tried to decide what to do.

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_**(Author's Note: Thanks again for reading. Please review. Also, you can follow me on twitter, thehurricane13.)**_


	22. An Understanding

**Chapter 22: An Understanding**

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Cody Martin woke up Thursday morning with a feeling of dread. He knew it was only a matter of time before rumors of his homosexuality spread throughout the whole school. For all he knew, it already had. To make matters worse, one of his best friends was partially to blame for the situation. Cody couldn't believe that Max would say such things about him. He felt betrayed.

The night before, before going to sleep, Cody filled his brother in on the situation. Zack was, understandably, not happy with the news and initially declared his friendship with both Max and Jordan to be over. He and Cody talked it over some more and his younger twin was able to convince him not to rush to judgment. Cody admitted he had also felt that way at first, but after giving it some thought, realized that Jordan, at least, wasn't really to blame for any of it and was able to convince Zack to see it that way as well. Max, on the other hand, he still wasn't sure about. In the end, Cody felt that he wouldn't be able to face her, at least for a while. The breach of trust was just too much for him. Zack agreed to have a talk with her at school and find out exactly what was going through her head. He didn't feel that it would make a difference in how he felt, but he agreed to do it for Cody. The elder twin also promised his younger brother that, no matter what, he would have Cody's back.

* * *

When the twins arrived at school that morning, Cody set out to find Jordan while Zack tried to locate Max. No one seemed to be acting any different, which to Cody was a good sign. He finally found Jordan sitting at one of the school's picnic tables where many students ate lunch each day. He was sitting with his head down, buried in his arms on top of his backpack. When Cody sat down across from him, he remained still.

"Hey," Cody said. Jordan was startled, having apparently not noticed someone was sitting at the table with him. He raised his head up, swept his light brown hair from his face, and gave Cody an unsure smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay," Jordan said, "I just didn't realize you were there."

"How you doing?" Cody asked, concerned about Jordan's almost zombie-like appearance.

"Not so good."

"Sorry..."

"Not your fault."

"Well listen... I wanted to talk to you," Cody said, "I just wanted to let you know that I'm not mad at you. I don't have any bad feelings toward you at all. None of this is your fault and Zack and I will be here to help you get through it."

"You told Zack?"

"Well, yeah," Cody explained, "he's my twin brother. I tell him everything. Plus, he needed to know anyway so he can be prepared for whatever happens."

"I guess you're right," Jordan said, "How did he react? Does he hate me?"

"Of course not," Cody said, "He understands that, like I said, none of this is your fault."

"What about Max?" Jordan asked, "I know she's your friend and everything, but... I don't think I can ever speak to her again. I... I hate her, Cody. I'm sorry, but I do."

"I understand," Cody said, "I don't know what's going to happen there. Zack said he was done with her. I... I just don't know." Neither boy said anything else for several minutes. Cody turned and straddled the bench to face the school while he thought about the situation and wondered if Zack had found Max. Jordan rested his chin on his backpack and watched the beautiful angel sitting in front of him. The cold wind blew Cody's golden hair back, revealing his handsome features. Jordan found himself staring at Cody, breathing the crisp, autumn air, and for the first time, forgot about all of his troubles for those few minutes.

When the school bell rang, Cody stood up first. "I guess I'll see you at lunch."

"Okay..." Jordan replied, getting up from the table. "And, Cody... thanks." Cody smiled that warm smile Jordan had come to love.

"Everything is going to be fine," Cody's smile almost made Jordan melt. Now they just needed to get through the rest of the day.

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_**(Author's Note: This chapter is kind of short because I felt Max's talk with Zack and Cody's talk with Jordan should be separated. **__**Anyway, please read and review. **__**There's only four... maybe five chapters left. The end is near! I hope you enjoy!)**_


	23. A Confrontation

Chapter 23: A Confrontation

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While Cody was talking with Jordan in the picnic area behind the school, Zack was looking for Max inside. He knew she normally sat inside the lunchroom and had breakfast after getting off the bus so that's where he started his search. It didn't take him long to spot her sitting at her usual table. Tapeworm was sitting across from here, but wasn't eating. As Zack approached, he noticed Tapeworm looking at him and then lean in to whisper something to Max.

"Max, we need to talk," Zack said loud enough for Max to hear over the hustle and bustle of the lunchroom. Between the hundred or so kids talking, trays banging, chair sliding and other various noises, it could be hard to talk during breakfast. Lunch was usually quieter since most kids had already had a chance to see each other by that point. Breakfast was when everyone was seeing each other for the first time each day and there was usually a lot to catch up on. Various news bits and rumors about other people was usually the main topics of discussion. Zack just hoped that none of them were talking about his brother.

"I don't want to talk about it," Max said without looking up.

"Well, we need to. You need to explain why you said those things about Cody."

"I'll talk to Cody when I'm ready," Max said, "I really just don't feel like it right now."

"Cody's my brother so you can talk to me now," Zack was starting to lose patience, something that he was trying hard not to do since Cody had asked him to be nice.

"Zack, she doesn't want to talk right now," Tapeworm said, trying to ease the tension, "Just leave her alone."

"Stay out of it, Dennis," Zack said. "The whole school is going to be talking shit about Cody, or WORSE and it's all because of Max. I think she owes us an explanation."

"I don't owe YOU anything!" Max said, suddenly spinning around to face Zack for the first time. "This is between me and Cody. YOU are the one who needs to stay out of it!"

"Cody's business IS my business!" Zack fired back. "You seem to have forgotten that he's my twin brother!"

"Guys," Tapeworm said, once again trying to calm the two friends down.

"You can stop with the big brother crap," Max said, "You can't pick and choose when to care about your brother! You pick on him just as much as everyone at school!"

"That has nothing to do with this," Zack said, "do you not understand that he is my BROTHER?! We are allowed to pick on each other! It's practically the law!"

"Very funny! YOU are the one who doesn't understand!" Max said, "YOU are part of the problem! You are part of the reason I said those things! Remember when you took my out on a date?"

"What does that have to do with ANY of this?!" Zack said, confused.

"It has EVERYTHING to do with it," Max said, tears beginning to build in her eyes. "Not everyone has such an easy time finding a boyfriend or girlfriend as you do, Zack! You have no idea what it's like to be rejected time after time!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Zack's confusion was only feeding his anger. "This has nothing to do with Cody!"

"YES IT DOES!" Max yelled as she jumped up from the table. Tapeworm was now staring down at the floor as two of his best friends screamed at each other. A few students had stopped their own conversations and were now staring in Max and Zack's direction.

"HOW?!" Zack yelled back.

"You are incapable of understanding. That's why I have nothing else to say to you. Tell Cody I will talk to him tomorrow night at the dance." Max gritted her teeth as she spoke to prevent herself from yelling anymore. She didn't want their confrontation to draw anymore attention than it already had.

"Whatever." Zack said as Max walked away. He was disappointed that he had let his temper flare, but still couldn't figure out what his date with Max had to do with her lying to Jordan about Cody.

"Just give her some time," Tapeworm said softly as he began gathering his things.

The bell rang and Tapeworm and the other students began filing out of the room to go to their first classes of the day. Zack stood still for a few moments trying to calm himself down. As he was about to leave, he spotted Cody coming in the side door from outside and decided to wait.

"Did you find Max?" Cody asked as he approached.

"Yeah," Zack said matter-of-factly.

"I take it it didn't go well," Cody said, picking up on Zack's tone.

"No, it didn't. She didn't want to talk to me and said I was part of the problem," Zack said.

"That's weird."

"Yeah, I know. She said she'd talk to you tomorrow night at the dance. You going?"

"I guess I have to now, "Cody said. "You going to come with me?"

"I guess. I'll wear my best dress. Just make sure you get me a pretty corsage," Zack joked, trying to ease the mood a little.

"Just try not to wear one that's too slutty," Cody said with a smile, "You already have a reputation for being loose."

"Yeah, well you already have a reputation of being a dork so maybe my slutty dress will help your status around here," Zack laughed.

"I'll see you at lunch," Cody said, sticking out his fist.

"Later, bud," Zack said, giving Cody a fist pound. The two brothers then separated, going in opposite directions down the hallway to their first classes of the day.

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**(Author's note: Thanks for all of the reviews! Keep them coming!)**


	24. Ultimatum

**Chapter 24: Ultimatum**

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Jordan entered his fourth period math class nervously. He still hadn't seen Drew since the incident in the ally and the longer he had to wait, the more the thoughts of what might happen ate away at him emotionally. He took his seat in the back of the classroom and waited. Finally, the person Jordan wanted to see both the most AND the least simultaneously entered the room with a large smile plastered across his face. Drew didn't stop at his desk near the front of the room. Instead, he walked straight up to Jordan. Jordan looked up from his seat as Drew stood over him, still smiling. The two locked eyes for a brief second and Jordan fought back the urge to lash out at Drew right then and there. He felt like his heart was beating it's way out of his chest and he almost vomited in nervousness waiting for what Drew might say or do. Finally, after staring each other down, the smile never leaving Drew's face, the bell rang. As the teacher called Drew to take his seat, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He tossed the paper at Jordan, hitting him in the forehead, as he turned and made his way to his desk.

As Mrs. Brown began the day's lesson, Jordan carefully unfolded the paper. There were two pages. The first one was a hand written note that said:

* * *

_"In the gym during lunch. Come alone. Tell anyone and I'll hand out 150 copies."_

_

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_

The other page was a photo copy of a page from Jordan's journal.

Jordan felt sick. The whole world seemed to stop. He knew this moment was coming, but nothing could have prepared him for it. He looked up for a moment and saw Drew turned around looking at him, smiling even moreso than he had been before. Feeling dizzy, Jordan rested his head on the edge of his desk and stared at the floor for the rest of the class period.

When the bell rang, Jordan got up to leave. Mrs. Brown, who had noticed Jordan's head down during class, stopped him at the door.

"Everything okay, Jordan?" She asked.

"I'm fine," Jordan lied. "I'm just having... family problems. Mom and dad were fighting and I didn't get any sleep last night."

"Oh, I'm sorry, honey," Mrs. Brown said, buying into Jordan's lie. "Do you need to go see Mr. Neyland?"

"N...no. I'll be okay," Jordan said.

"Well, if you change your mind, you know where the counselor's office is right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And between you and me," Mrs. Brown said quietly, "if you need some extra time on today's assignement, let me know. I'll be happy to see you after school to help you catch up."

"Thanks." Jordan said.

"Go on to lunch now, but remember what I said," the kind old teacher said with a smile. She put her arm around Jordan, her red dress and white blouse smelled of just a little too much perfume and Jordan thought he could smell baby powder in her curly, white hair. Still, the kindness in her eyes made Jordan feel a little bit better, if only for a few moments.

* * *

Jordan's footsteps echoed as he entered the vast empty space inside the school's gymnasium. When he reached the middle of the basketball court Jordan stopped and listened. There were no signs of anyone else.

"Drew," Jordan called out. His voice, like his footsteps, echoed loudly off of the walls. At first, there was no response, only more silence. Jordan was just about to give up and go back up to the school when he heard a toilet flush. He followed the sound into the boy's locker room and shower area. He found Drew sitting on a bench in front of the lockers with his football gym bag on the floor in front of him.

"What's up, faggot?" Drew said as Jordan approached. "Take a seat."

"Let's just get this over with," Jordan said as he sat down on the bench on the opposite side of the aisle from Drew. "What do you want?"

"What do I want?" Drew laughed. "You got it wrong. The question is what do YOU want and what are you willing to do to get it?"

"You know what I want. Just give it here so I can go."

"Give it here? You think I'm just going to hand it over to you?" Drew said reaching into the gym bag and pulling out the journal. "I could fucking end you, man. If the crew or anyone else in the school found this shit out, you would never be able to show your face around here without getting your ass beat. No, I'm not just going to hand it over to you. You're gonna have to earn it."

"What do you want?" Jordan mumbled, staring at the floor. He knew Drew had the advantage and he was going to have to cooperate if he wanted his secrets to remain that way.

"What did you say?"

"What do you want, Drew," Jordan said. This time, he nearly shouted. "You've got my journal and you've know all of my secrets. What do you want? What do I have to do to get you to keep what you know to yourself and give me my book back?"

"First of all, keep it down. You wanna get caught?" Drew said in a half whisper. "You know, you're a pretty sick fuck," Drew continued in his normal voice. "You really should see somebody about some of the shit you wrote in here. Some of the sick and twisted shit you've done or fantasized about... damn..." Jordan hung his head and stared at the floor again, absorbing the things Drew was saying. "I mean... I've heard of raining cats and dogs, but the people standing on the sidewalk in Austin, Texas must have been thinking... DAMN!" Drew laughed.

"Can we get this over with," Jordan said quietly. The more Drew talked, Jordan could feel his nervousness turning into anger.

"Fine," Drew said as he stood up and put the journal on the bench. "You don't want to hear what I have to say? That's fine. I'll keep your secrets, but you have to do something for me first."

"What do you want?" Jordan said. Still staring at the floor, Jordan hadn't noticed that Drew was now standing in front of him. A snapping sound followed by the sound of a zipper caused Jordan to look up. As his eyes made their way up, they met Drew's pants on their way down. The bully was now standing with his penis in his hand, sticking out of the hole in his green boxers. "What are you doing?!" Jordan practically yelled in confusion.

"Suck it," Drew said with a smile.

"What?! No!"

"You want me to keep your secrets? Keep your demented shit to myself?" Drew asked.

"Yes, but I'm not..."

"Suck it," Drew interrupted. "It's the only way I'll keep quiet." Jordan stood up from the bench and started to leave.

"YOU'RE the one who's demented if you think I'm doing that!" Jordan said. "Forget it, I'm not doing it! I don't care what you do!"

Drew lunged forward and shoved Jordan hard back down onto the bench and into the lockers behind him. The impact of his head against the metal disoriented Jordan as Drew climbed on top of him and pinned him in place. "I don't think you understand," Drew said gritting his teeth and holding Jordan's head in place by the hair. "I'm not that cute little puppy in Austin, I'm not a five-year-old girl in Tampa, and I'm not asleep like Cody Martin! I am in control here!"

"Get off me!" Jordan struggled, but it only caused Drew to pull harder on his hair.

"Now you're gonna suck my dick or you're going to get something a lot worse than me telling the whole school how fucked up you are!"

"Fuck you!" Jordan yelled as he tried to fight loose.

As Jordan struggled, Drew let go of his hair in an attempt to get better control of the smaller boy. Jordan took the opportunity to head-butt the bully in the face. As Drew stepped back and grunted in shock and pain, Jordan gave him a swift kick the the testicles, sending him to the floor like a bag of potatos. Jordan then tried to run away, but Drew was able to think quickly enough to grab his gym bag by the shoulder strap and swing it across the floor, sweeping Jordan's feet right out from under him. Jordan heard a loud thud as his own head hit the concrete floor before blacking out. He woke up a few seconds later with a throbbing headache and a loud ringing in his ears. He slowly pulled himself up to his hands and knees and turned to look behind him to see where Drew was just in time to see a white Nike coming full speed into his face.

The impact of Drew's foot in his face busted Jordan's nose and upper lip. He could feel the warm blood running down his chin and looked down to see it pooling beneath him. Before he had time to think, another kick to the ribs followed quickly by another to the stomach pushed all of the air out of Jordan's lungs and he collapsed in the floor gasping for breath. As he tried despreately to breathe, Jordan didn't notice through the pain that he was being moved. The last thing he saw and heard before blacking out was Drew hovering over him, face to face, whispering.

"Yeah, you like that, you little faggot?"

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**(Author's Note: Thanks for reading and please review. Only a few more chapters left! Hope you're all enjoying it! By the way, hope everyone is having a happy holiday season! Only two days left in this year! I'll see everyone in 2010!)**


	25. The Cat is Out

Chapter 25: The Cat is Out

_**(Author's Note: The events of this chapter happen at the exact same time as the events in Chapter 24.)**_

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Cody waited near the door of the cafeteria until his brother arrived. The twins greeted each other and took their place in the lunch line. The room was busy with people catching each other up on the day's happenings while talking over the background noice of plastic trays sliding and banging on tables, utensils scratching across plates, and book bags being dropped onto chairs.

"What are you having today?" Cody asked his brother.

"I think I'll have the pizza. At least it LOOKS edible," the older twin joked.

"I heard someone actually tried the meatloaf last week and hasn't been back to school since."

"I believe it," Zack said, "No one ever eats it. I think they make one at the beginning of the year and just keep putting the same one out every day." The brothers laughed at the thought.

Zack and Cody made their way through the lunch line, collected their choices of food and headed out to find a table. Zack already knew Cody didn't want to sit with Max so the brothers took a seat on the opposite side of the room from their normal position.

"I don't know why they hand these out anymore," Cody said referring to the new issue of the school paper that had been given to him with his lunch. "No one reads it anymore. It's such a waste of paper." As he spoke, Cody noticed a few people laughing as they walked past him, but didn't think much of it.

"No one reads it because we're not working on it anymore. Ask Shirley equals ratings. And besides, it's not a waste," Zack said, "The staples can be pulled out and you have enough sheets for about 10 paper airplanes!" Cody laughed as he watched his brother remove the staples from the paper.

"You better be careful," the younger twin warned, "You don't want to get in trouble." More laughter could be heard scattered around the room. Cody tried to dismiss it, but, as more people started joining in, he wondered what was going on. "What's everyone laughing about?"

"I don't know," Zack said as he finished his third paper airplane. He picked up the fourth page and began folding, but something caught his eye. More kids walked by laughing and this time Cody was sure their laughter was directed at him. He was just about to speak up when Zack cut him off. "Um... Cody..."

"Huh?" Cody was giving the group that had walked by a look of both confusion and anger.

"I think this might answer your question," Zack held up the piece of paper he was about fold into an airplane so Cody could see.

* * *

At the top in bold, black, handwriting it said 'My First Kiss by Jordan Farmer.' The rest of the page was also handwritten, but by someone else. Cody began reading the words and his heart dropped as he realized it was a copy of a page from Jordan's journal. Cody snatched the paper from his brother's hand and began reading, in great detail about Jordan's exploration of his body while he was sleeping. When he got to the part about the kiss, he stopped reading and laid the paper on the table staring at his older twin in disbelief.

"Did you read the last part?" Zack asked quietly.

"I... I stopped at... I stopped at the part where he kissed me," Cody was finally able to say. "I... I just don't even... wow..."

"This... this is messed up..." Zack said. "What are you going to do?"

"First... I think I'm going to be sick..." Cody said. At that point, most of the noise in the lunch room had stopped and a strange silence had fallen over everyone. As he looked around, Cody noticed that almost everyone in the room was looking at him. To his surprise, most of the laughter had stopped and many people seemed to be just as shocked at the whole thing as he was. A few people were whispering, filling their friends who hadn't read about it in on the story and some of them were pointing toward Zack and Cody's table for the benefit of those who didn't already know who Cody Martin was. A few tables over, Jimmy Wyntirsno, the captain of the football team, got up and made his way toward Zack and Cody. Jimmy was a big guy and both Zack and Cody had had their share of run-ins with him. He was a senior and liked to pick on the younger kids in school. He wasn't a violent bully like Drew Gambol tended to be, but where he held back in physical abuse, he more than made up for in his verbal taunts.

As Jimmy approached, Zack and Cody both looked up and him silently. He stood over them menacingly, his football letterman jacket bulging around his arms as if it could barely contain the huge, beefy man beneath. He leaned in, placing both hand on Zack and Cody's table and Cody closed his eye and braced himself for what was sure to be a verbal beating.

"Hey man," Jimmy's deep voice boomed, even as he tried to speak quietly, "this is some pretty sick shit. That kid took advantage of you and that's... not cool." Cody let out his deep breath he had been holding in anticipation and opened his eyes. He looked up at Jimmy with his mouth hanging open, unsure how what to say or how to react. "If anyone bothers you about this, let me know. I got your back." Jimmy rose up from the table. Zack and Cody's stunned faces followed him as he turned to address the rest of the students in the lunch room. "This is Cody Martin," he announced while pointing at Cody. "If anyone messes with him they'll have to deal with me!" Then, he turned back around to face Cody. "Make sure you let me know, okay?" Cody was taken aback by the sincerity of Jimmy's words.

"I... I will," Cody stuttered. Jimmy nodded and started to walk away, but Cody stopped him. "Jimmy... thanks." The big man gave Cody a reassuring smile and another nod before going back to his table.

* * *

After Jimmy's announcement, the noise level in the lunch room began to pick back up. There was no doubt that people were discussing Cody, but he felt better knowing that not everyone was going to turn this against him. After all, he had been asleep the whole time and was practically molested. It would take a real scumbag to try to use that against him. As these things were rushing through his head, Cody heard Zack saying something in reply to a passer-by.

"What did they say?" Cody asked.

"They said they were sorry for what happened and that I... er you... well... they said 'you' but I think they meant YOU since they were talking to me..."

"Zack..." Cody interrupted his brothers rambling.

"Sorry. They were sorry for what happened and sorry that YOU had to find out along with the rest of the school."

"Wow..." Cody couldn't believe that people were taking his side. It was pretty much the opposite of what the twins had prepared themselves for, but now that it was happening, it all made sense.

"What do you want to do?" Zack asked.

"I'm not sure. I'll have to find Jordan after school and tell him it's over. We're not friends anymore. I don't want to see him, but I have to let him know how angry I am about this. I mean... Zack... he practically molested me while I was asleep!"

"I know. Do you want me to beat him up?" Zack offered.

"I don't think that's necessary, but thanks anyway. I just kinda feel bad for him."

"What?! How can you feel bad for someone who would do that to you?!" Zack exclaimed.

"I don't know... I'm trying not to, but... I just can't help it. He has no friends. He's obviously messed up in the head. I think he needs help."

Zack scoffed, "He definitely needs help." The bell rang signaling the end of lunch.

"I don't know... when I talk to him, I'll let him know I think he needs help." The brothers made their way to the trash to empty their trays before placing them in the slot for the dishwasher. "I'll meet up with you after school."

"Are you worried about what people might say to you for the rest of the day?"

"Yeah, but I'm honestly too angry to let it get to me. I was in a helpless position and I did nothing... wrong."

"Okay... just take care of yourself. Anyone messes with you, let me know." Zack said as he put his arm around his younger brother and gave him a loving squeeze.

"Thanks, bubba. I'll see you after school."

* * *

The twins went their separate ways as Cody headed off the face the unknown challenges the rest of the day might present as the second wave of people got hold of the school paper. At first, Cody had considered trying to gather all of the copies, but he knew that enough people had seen it already, there was no use.

As the lunch room filled back up with students who there for the second lunch period, no one knew what was going on just down a small hill from there, inside the gym or that someone needed help.

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**_Author's Note: Jimmy Wyntirsno is named after the user Wyntirsno who won a "contest" WAY back at the beginning of this story to have a character named after them._**


	26. Broken

**Chapter 26: Broken**

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Jordan woke up several minutes later to the sound of footsteps echoing through the large open space in the gym. His entire body was in terrible pain and each footstep made his head pound. He was disoriented at first, but after a few seconds, things started to come together. He looked around and found that he was still lying in the floor in the locker room area, a separate room from where the footsteps were coming from. He tried to sit up, but the severe pain in his ribs made it difficult. He decided, though, that he needed to get out of the gym before anyone found him there so he took a deep breath and held it in while he fought through the pain and stood up, pulling his pants and boxers up from around his ankles as he did. The pain in his ribs was so bad that tears began to flow down his face as he tried to over come a new challenge, dizziness.

With every exhale, his nose gurgled with blood and he could taste the metallic taste from the blood coming from his busted lip. His red Nike shirt hid the blood it was soaked in except on the white letters of the logo and the trademark "swoosh" symbol. He staggered awkwardly toward the doorway, still recovering from the dizziness, and peered out into the large open space to see if anyone was there. Despite being unsure of where the footsteps had been coming from, he decided to make his escape. The closest exit was the fire door at the back end of the basketball court. He started walking toward it, but his own footsteps alerted the other person in the building with him.

"Hey! What are you doing in here?" Coach Welch called out to him. Realizing that the coach was walking toward him, Jordan panicked. He sucked in another deep breath and, despite the immense pain in his ribs and throbbing headache, ran as fast as he could toward the fire door. The coach was slow to react so Jordan had enough time bolt through the door, ignoring the alarm that was set off. Soon, adrenaline took over and Jordan was able to run down the alley and around the corner before succumbing to the pain and stopping to catch his breath. He knew the coach would probably come looking for him so he walked across the street to the McDonald's and hid in one of the bathroom stalls while he collected himself.

After he felt enough time had passed, Jordan came out of the stall and cleaned up his bloody face. He then went as fast as his body would let him back to his suite at the Tipton. He went straight into the bathroom and began taking off his clothes. His wet shirt, his shoes and socks, his blood spattered jeans and blood stained boxers. The hot water of the shower came over him soothing his aching muscles and bones. Though, while his body was starting to feel better, emotionally he was broken. He had never felt so low in his entire life. He sat down on the small seat and let the water run over him. He wanted to cry, but had done so much of it in the stall at McDonald's, he couldn't muster any more tears.

Once the water ran cold, he climbed out onto the mat and opened the small door next to the toilet to get a towel. The shelf was empty so he ran quickly to his parents unused bedroom to get a towel from the private bathroom. When he opened the linen cabinet, something shiny grab his attention immediately. He reached in to pick it up, but a knock on the door distracted him. He quickly grabbed a towel to dry off with and closed the cabinet door.

"Just a minute!" He called to whoever was outside. He went to his bedroom and grabbed a fresh pair of boxers and shorts and pulled them. Then, he went to answer the front door. He looked throught he peep hole first before opening the door. "Um... hi," he said nervously. "What are you doing here so early? Shouldn't you be at school?"

"Students in the activities club were let out at two o'clock today so we can start setting up for the dance tomorrow night."

"Oh..." Jordan said.

"Can I come in for a minute? We need to talk."

"Um... yeah. Come in," Jordan opened the door wide enough and invited his guest in. The two teens made their way into the living room, Jordan still wearing only shorts with a towel wrapped around his shoulders, and sat down on the sofa across from each other.

"Before I say anything, I want you to read this," Cody said as he handed Jordan a copy of the school paper.

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_**(Author's Note: Thanks for reading. Please reply. I'm getting a LOT more views than reviews so please. Even if it's something quick. Reviews are very important to the writers. It's how we know if the people reading actually like what they see or not.)**_


	27. Shattered

**Chapter 27: Shattered**

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Jordan felt like he was going to be sick as he realized that what he was looking at was a copy from his journal, printed in the school newspaper for all to see.

"Cody... I..." Jordan tried to find the right words, but nothing would come out.

"Jordan... how could you do something like that?" Cody asked softly. "I mean... it was one thing that you like me, but this... This is just too much."

"I know... and... I'm sorry," Jordan said. The tears that he thought he had ran out of were beginning to well up again. Everything that had happened was swirling in his head as he began to break down.

"I don't think 'sorry' can fix this. You... What you did was wrong. You took advantage of me while I was asleep," Cody said staying calm, but having to fight back his anger over what had happened. "How can I trust you now?"

"You have to believe me, Cody, I would never do anything like that again, I promise," Jordan sobbed.

"I don't know if I can believe that. I mean... it never should have happened the first time," Cody said. "You don't know what that's like, do you? To be taken advantage of?"

"I do."

"Then you should know that it's going to be very hard for me to forgive this," Cody said. "If I can at all."

"Cody... please," Jordan was now crying and it was hard for Cody to see.

"Jordan... I'm sorry. I just need some time to think. Time away from you to decide what to do." Cody stood up to leave. As angry as he was over the situation, he couldn't bear to watch Jordan cry.

"Don't leave me... Cody," Jordan sobbed. "You're all I've got." The words knotted up Cody's throat and he started to tear up a little himself.

"Jordan... I'm sorry. I just... I don't think we can be friends right now..." Cody said, trying to stick to what he came for, but also trying to show sympathy for the crying boy in front of him.

"Cody... please," Jordan repeated as he wiped tears from his face. "Give me another chance... it won't happen again, I promise. Cody... I love you." The last words hit Cody like a punch in the gut.

"Jordan... you CAN'T love me," Cody said. "You know that I don't have those feelings for you... I'm not..." His words trailed off as he walked over to the door to leave.

"But... can't you..."

"Can't I what?" Cody asked stopping to face Jordan who was still sitting on the sofa crying.

"Can't you... try?"

"Try what? To love you? Jordan... I can't. It doesn't work that way."

"How do you know unless you give me a chance?" Jordan stood up and moved close until he was standing right in front of Cody.

"Because I know. I'm sorry, but I will never have those feelings for you... or any other boy."

Suddenly Jordan moved forward and grabbed Cody, pinning his back against the door. He tried to kiss Cody, but the blonde was able to struggle free and push Jordan away before his lips made contact.

"Dude! No!" Cody yelled. "I can't believe...! I'm leaving!"

"Cody please, I'm sorry," Jordan pleaded, trying to grab Cody's hand.

"No! That's it! It's over!" Cody had now lost control of the anger he had been fighting so hard to suppress at the beginning of their conversation. "Don't ever talk to me or come near me again! Stay away and leave me alone!" Before Jordan could respond, Cody had already went out the door, slamming it behind him.

"Cody!" Jordan screamed as he pressed his head against the door. "Come back..." With that, he turned his back against the door and sank to the floor in defeat and began crying uncontrollably. He had now lost everything. The whole school knew of his secret and his perverse actions the night of the sleepover and Cody hated him because of it. There was nothing left. No friends. No family. Nothing. He was all alone and his emotional state was more fragile than it had ever been.

His entire world now shattered, Jordan cried until he fell asleep right there on the floor.

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**(Author's Note: Again, I can't stress how important your feedback is. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Hopefully you all will continue that trend.)**


	28. Unsure

**Chapter 28: Unsure**

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When Zack arrived at home after school, he found Cody sitting on his bed staring at the floor.

"What's up, bro?" he asked concerned. "Aren't you supposed to be headed back to school to set up for the dance?"

"Yeah, I still have a few minutes. I was just sitting here thinking," the younger twin said.

"What's the matter?"

"Jordan was absent for all of the afternoon classes so when I came home, I went to his suite to see if he was there," Cody said.

"Was he?"

"Yeah, he was. And I showed him the school paper."

"What did he say?"

"He tried to say he was sorry and that it wouldn't happen again, but... I told him I needed some space and time to think about it," Cody explained.

"How did he take it?"

"Not very well."

"Well... what do you mean?"

"Well... first he started crying. I felt bad for him at first, but then he asked me if I could give him a chance," Cody said.

"Give him a chance? You mean..."

"Yeah. As in be his boyfriend."

"You told him 'no' right?" Zack asked. Cody wasn't amused and the look he shot Zack told the older brother that he wasn't in the mood for jokes. "Well... is that all?"

"No," Cody said, returning his gaze to the floor. "After that he..." His voice trailed off.

"He what?"

Cody took a deep breath and let out a sigh before continueing. "He tried to kiss me."

"He tried to... Dude! What did you do?"

"I shoved him away and told him to never speak to me again. Actually... I yelled at him to stay away and never talk to me again."

"Then..."

"Then I left," Cody said.

"You didn't punch him?"

"No, Zack. I didn't punch him," Cody said sarcastically.

"I would have."

"No... I mean... I kind of feel bad about it. Like I may have over reacted." Cody said.

"Dude... don't. That kid's messed up. He needs help."

"I know. That's why I feel bad for him. I know he's messed up and I don't think has anyone to go to. He said I was his only friend and you and I both know his parents are never home... I just don't know what to do."

"I don't think there's anything you CAN do," Zack said trying to comfort his brother. "You're not a shrink."

"No, but maybe if I talk to Mr. Neyland tomorrow, he'll know what to do," Cody said. "Anyway... I... I gotta get going. I'm going to be late." The younger blonde stood up and grabbed his jacket from the back of his computer chair and headed toward the door. "We'll talk about it tonight when I get home."

"Okay. Don't have too much fun without me," Zack said trying to lighten the mood before his brother headed out.

"I don't think that'll be a problem," Cody responded.

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**(Author's Note: TEAM CONAN!!! PANTS ON THE GROUND!!! READ AND REVIEW!!! lol)**


	29. Atonement

**(Author's Note: This is the second update for today. Make sure you didn't miss the last chapter before reading this one. You don't want to miss anything!)**

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**Chapter 29: Atonement**

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Jordan woke up the next morning a little later than usual and had a hard time dragging his aching body out of bed. The pain in his ribs was still making it hard to breathe, but the swelling in his busted lip had finally gone down. To his disappointment, though, he now had a black eye. He put in a call to room service for an expensive breakfast, instructing the waiter to leave the cart in the room, and then took a shower. Once clean, he climbed out of the shower, not bothering to dry off or even get dressed and went into the living room where his breakfast order was waiting. After eating breakfast, he went back into his bedroom and got dressed.

Black and white Converse All-star shoes. Blue jeans. White 'Miami Ink' shirt with tribal skull designs.

After getting dressed, he grabbed his backpack and started to leave before remembering one last item. One more accessory that he would need that day.

Jordan decided that today was going to be his day. His day to get back at all of the people who had ever wronged him. His day for payback for all the hurt and suffering, both emotionally and physically. This was going to be his day of atonement.

* * *

Zack and Cody arrived at school and headed for the cafeteria. After their talk the night before, the two had decided to talk to Max and potentially make amends. The twins decided that their friendship with the disgraced girl had lasted too long and was too important to just throw away. They knew things would be different for a while, but different was better than nothing. They walked past Officer Harris, the school's resource officer, and spotted Max and Tapeworm at their usual table. When Max saw the brothers approaching through the large breakfast crowd, she greeted them with an unsure smile.

"Hey," Cody said, his uneasy feeling toward the girl showing in his voice.

"Hi," She responded, sharing his awkwardness.

"Listen...uh...we just wanted talk to you for a minute," Cody said.

"Sure," Max said. "Sit." Zack and Cody took their places across the table from Max and Tapeworm. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, look who it is, crew!" A familiar voice said before Zack or Cody could respond to Max's question.

"What do you want, Drew?" Zack asked, disgusted at the bully's presence.

"Oh, nothing," Drew smirked. "I just wanted to let your brother here know that I've enjoyed reading about him in the school paper."

"Leave him alone, Drew," Zack said, "We all know you're the one who put that in the paper."

"You can't prove it," Drew smiled. "And even if you could, what are you going to do about it?" Zack jumped up from his seat and was in Drew's face before the bully even realized it.

"If we weren't at school..." Zack said between gritted teeth.

"Zack, sit down, he's not worth it," Cody said, tugging on his brother's shirt.

"If we weren't at school... what?" Drew taunted. "There's three of us and only one of you. Unless your little sister wants to fight, too." Drew's two friends laughed at their leader's verbal jab.

"Is there a problem here?" James Wyntirsno said stepping between them. He had spotted the confrontation from across the room and, unable to tell the difference between Zack and Cody, came to aid the boy as he had promised.

"Mind ya' business, bitch," Drew said defiantly, stepping up to the larger Wyntirsno's face.

"It looks like you just made it my business," the jock said. As he spoke, he spotted something shiny out of the corner of his eye. The distraction caused him to take his eyes off of Drew long enough for the smaller bully to take a swing. As he did though, Wyntirsno was already on his way down to duck. "LOOK OUT!" He yelled. He was too late.

* * *

The hustle and bustle of the breakfast time cafeteria was silenced as a loud bang echoed through the room. While Zack, Cody, and the others were focused on Drew and the impending fight between him and James Wyntirsno, none of them had noticed Jordan Farmer approach through the crowd and pull a silver M1911 pistol from under the front of his shirt. As Drew was mid-swing at Wyntirsno, Jordan took aim and shot him at point blank in the back of the head. Drew Gambol dropped to the floor.

In the short moment of silence and confusion that followed, Drew's friends realized what had happened and tried to make a move on Jordan.

Two more shots rang out, hitting the gang members and sending them to the floor next to their fallen leader.

As the realization of what was happening spread throughout the room, screams replaced the silence and students were fighting to get through the exit or for space under tables. Covered in Drew's blood, James Wyntirsno leaped forward in an attempt to take down the boy with the gun, but he too was taken down with a single shot. Jordan then fired three more shots, seemingly at random, into the crowd of people rushing to get away.

Everyone remaining in the room dove for cover under the nearest table. Then, Jordan turned to where Zack, Cody, Max, and Tapeworm had been sitting moments before. They were no longer in their seats, but Jordan had an idea of where they had gone.

* * *

Leaning under the table, Jordan spotted his four former friends hiding. Zack and Cody were holding each other, Cody crying in panic. Zack was also in a state of panic, but was trying to keep it together to comfort his brother. "It's okay, Cody. It's okay..." Zack whispered frantically into his younger twin's ear.

"Max, can you come out here please," Jordan said, looking the terrified girl right in the eyes. Looking into Jordan's dark, bloodshot eyes gave Zack chills. The sparkle was gone. In its place was... emptiness.

"No... please... I'm sorry," the girl pleaded under the table. "Please... just... don't hurt me..."

"Why wouldn't I hurt you," Jordan said angrily. "You played me like a fool!"

"I know... and... I'm sorry... just please... I'm sorry... don't hurt me..." she sobbed in terror.

"You should have thought of that before you decided to hurt me," Jordan said. "If you're not going to come out here and face me, I'll have to come under there after you."

"Please... please don't..." she continued pleading.

"Jordan... please..." Zack said, "Please... you don't have to do this..."

"Just like she didn't have to hurt me!" Jordan said pointing the gun at Max. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Max was now in a state of shock and anything that she may have been trying to say was unintelligible.

"Jordan, just listen..." Zack started. His plea went unheard and was cut short by another shot. Warm blood covered the blonde boy and his twin brother. Tapeworm screamed in terror and pain as the bullet that had been fired passed through Max and lodged in his chest. Jordan then turned his gaze toward Cody.

"Cody, can you come out here please," Jordan said. After seeing Max's fate, Cody, who was now almost completely in shock himself, began to climb out from under the table in compliance with the enraged Jordan's orders.

"Cody, no!" Zack pleaded.

"Zack... it's okay. I'll be okay. I promise," Cody said before leaving the underside of the table. Once he was clear of the table, Jordan grabbed him by his hair and forced him to his knees.

"Cody... do you see what I've done," Jordan said, now starting to tear up.

"Jordan... you can stop this... just put the gun down..." Cody pleaded.

"No. No, Cody. It's too late. I can't stop this. Look around you. Look what I've done." Jordan said. Then, he pressed the silver pistol to Cody's head. Cody closed his eyes and held his breath in anticipation. "Don't you see. I did this for you."

"For me?" Cody said, tears mixing with the blood covering his face.

"Yes. I did this so we could be together. Look around you, Cody. No one will make fun of us now," Jordan said. "We can finally be together and be happy."

"Jordan... killing people is not going to help us be together. I'm sorry. You need help. Just put the gun down and we can get help."

"I DON'T NEED HELP!" Jordan yelled pressing the gun into Cody's head. "I NEED YOU! Don't you see? We can be together now!"

"Jordan... we'll never be together," Cody said, wincing in pain and shaking in horror. "I'm sorry."

"I did all of this for you, Cody," Jordan said. "Can't you see?"

"I didn't ask for this," Cody said, "I'm sorry. This will not make me be with you."

"Then... I'm the one who is sorry. After I've done... all of this for you, you still reject me." Jordan said somberly. "So this is how it ends? Cody... I'm sorry."

"We can get help." Cody pleaded.

"There is no help," Jordan said. "If I can never have you, Cody... no one should be able to. You were my only friend. The only person who understood me. You were my angel, Cody. From the first time I met you. Do you remember that? In the arcade? But when I needed you the most you pushed me away. You rejected me like everyone else..." Jordan positioned himself in front of Cody, moving the gun from the back of the blonde boy's head to Cody's forehead. Cody tensed up and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Cody." Jordan said softly.

"JORDAN, NO..."

One last gun shot echoed through the cafeteria silencing Cody's last plea to his former friend.

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_**To Be Continued...**_

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**(Author's note: Second update for today so make sure you didn't miss the last chapter. Please read and review.)**


	30. The End

**Chapter 30: The End**

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"Cody, can you come out here please," Jordan said. After seeing Max's fate, Cody, who was now almost completely in shock himself, began to climb out from under the table in compliance with the enraged Jordan's orders. As he was getting up, he was able to get a closer look at the gun Jordan was carrying. An engraving on the side of the barrel gave Cody a bit of hope. At least, as much hope as one could get when they had just watched one of their friends murdered just inches from their face.

"Cody, no!" Zack pleaded.

"Zack... it's okay. I'll be okay. I promise," Cody said before leaving the underside of the table. He was almost sure that what he had said was true, that he would be okay.

The engraving on the side of Jordan's gun said '_Smith & Wesson M1911A1_.' Cody recognized the model as the same type of gun his grandfather owned. It was a .45 caliber handgun that his grandfather had been issued during the Korean war. He remembered the old man showing him and Zack the weapon many times during visits, the most recent visit being just two months prior for the twins' birthday. If he remembered correctly, and he was pretty sure he did, the gun had a capacity of 8 rounds, provided it hadn't been modified with an aftermarket magazine. Quickly thinking back over the last few minutes, he was almost sure Jordan had already used the 8 rounds. Almost. There was still the chance that his count was off or that the gun did indeed have a larger magazine. Once he was clear of the table, Jordan grabbed him by his hair and forced him to his knees.

"Cody... do you see what I've done," Jordan said, now starting to tear up.

"Jordan... you can stop this... just put the gun down..." Cody pleaded. Despite his near certainty that the gun was empty, Cody didn't want to take the the chance.

* * *

Zack, who was still hiding under the table and unaware of what Cody was thinking, was trying hard to think of a way out of the situation. Tears streamed down his face as he tried to find a way to save himself and his brother. He squatted low to the floor and looked past his fallen friends, looking for an escape route between tables. A movement several feet away caught his attention. Officer Harris was squatted near a table on the other side of the room, sneaking into position. When he noticed that Zack could see him, he motioned for the terrified teen to remain still and quiet. Zack did. The elder twin's mind was now more at ease knowing the officer was near. He was sure that Cody had also spotted the officer and that's why his younger brother had been so sure that he was safe. The tension was now building as Zack watched helplessly, careful not to make any sudden movements that may cause Jordan to shoot his brother before the officer had a chance to make the save.

* * *

"No. No, Cody. It's too late. I can't stop this. Look around you. Look what I've done." Jordan said, pressing the silver pistol to Cody's head. Cody closed his eyes and held his breath in anticipation. "Don't you see. I did this for you."

"For me?" Cody said, tears mixing with the blood covering his face. Unaware of Officer Harris' presence nearby, Cody decided that the only way out of this situation was to try and talk Jordan into putting the gun down.

"Yes. I did this so we could be together. Look around you, Cody. No one will make fun of us now," Jordan said. "We can finally be together and be happy."

"Jordan... killing people is not going to help us be together," Cody said, disgusted at the idea that killing people would somehow make someone fall in love with you. "I'm sorry. You need help. Just put the gun down and we can get help." He tried to remain calm and hoped Jordan could be calmed by his voice.

"I DON'T NEED HELP!" Jordan yelled pressing the gun into Cody's head. "I NEED YOU! Don't you see? We can be together now!" These words hurt Cody. For the first time, he wondered to himself if this entire situation WAS his fault. Could he have prevented it and if so, how? If given the chance to go back in time, would he have pretended to love Jordan to prevent these events from happening? He decided he needed to put those things out of his mind for now and concentrate on staying alive.

"Jordan... we'll never be together," Cody said, wincing in pain and shaking in horror, tears now rolling freely down his face. "I'm sorry."

"I did all of this for you, Cody," Jordan said. "Can't you see?"

"I didn't ask for this," Cody said, "I'm sorry. This will not make me be with you."

"Then... I'm the one who is sorry. After I've done... all of this for you, you still reject me." Jordan said somberly. "So this is how it ends? Cody... I'm sorry."

"We can get help." Cody pleaded.

"There is no help," Jordan said. "If I can never have you, Cody... no one should be able to. You were my only friend. The only person who understood me. You were my angel, Cody. From the first time I met you. Do you remember that? In the arcade? But when I needed you the most you pushed me away. You rejected me like everyone else..." Jordan positioned himself in front of Cody, moving the gun from the back of the blonde boy's head to Cody's forehead. Cody tensed up and closed his eyes. Despite his relative certainty that the gun was empty, he was still terrified.

_"What if it isn't empty? Am I about to die?" _Cody thought.

"I'm sorry, Cody." Jordan said softly.

He pulled the trigger.

* * *

Cody heard the gun click and a split second later, saw Officer Harris out of the corner of his eye taking aim. "JORDAN, NO..." Cody started to react in an attempt to save his former friend's life, but it all happened too fast. The amount of time between Jordan pulling the the trigger and Officer Harris popping out from behind his cover and firing his own weapon was mere seconds.

"CODY!" Zack screamed from under the table, unsure of whether there had been only one shot or two at the same time.

Cody watched in horror as Jordan dropped his gun and fell to his knees with a blank look on his face. Officer Harris' bullet had struck Jordan in the chest and he was gasping hard as his lungs and heart filled with blood.

"Cody...I'm...sorry..." Jordan wheezed before collapsing onto the floor, blood running from his mouth. Cody was stunned, his mouth hanging wide open, his eyes wide with terror as his watched Jordan take his last few breaths and then die before his very eyes.

Zack bolted from under the table and grabbed his brother and held him tight, thankful that he had made it out okay. Cody found himself unable to move. All he could do was stare as Officer Harris approached, gun still drawn, before kneeling down and checking Jordan for a pulse. Sobs could be heard throughout the cafeteria as the other students slowly began coming out from their hiding places, many of them holding each other for comfort.

Within moments, other officers that had already been on their way arrived and began ushering people out of the room. EMTs began treating people who were injured and loading those who had been killed onto stretchers, covering their bodies before wheeling them out to waiting ambulances. Zack and Cody watched and held each other tight.

* * *

Cody Martin was jolted out of his sleep by the sounds of gunshots and the grisly image of people dying all around him. He sat straight up in the bed, drenched in cold sweat, eyes wide with fear.

"Honey, are you okay?" a comforting voice asked. Cody felt the soothing touch of his girlfriend's hand on his shoulder as he slowly realized that he was safe inside a cabin on the S.S. Tipton. He had been up late studying for a test with Bailey in her cabin and had fallen asleep only to be awakened by the haunting nightmare.

"Yeah...I'm fine..." He said, still a bit disoriented.

"Another nightmare?" the southern girl asked.

"Yeah..."

In the past year since the shooting, Cody's nightmares, which he often shared with his brother, had started coming less frequently, but the intensity of them had not decreased. He and Zack had spent a lot of time in counseling over it, but still carried the heavy burden of guilt over the entire incident. Cody in particular was having a hard time getting over the idea that the events were his own fault since the murders had been carried out 'for him' and could have been prevented had he just tried to love Jordan. Both twins felt they could have saved Jordan's life if they had only known what the other was thinking at the time. Despite his actions, neither brother felt that Jordan deserved his ultimate fate, especially after the news broke that Jordan had been beaten and raped and had two broken ribs at the time of the shooting.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Bailey asked, putting her arm around her boyfriend and holding him tight.

"No... not really," Cody said.

Since the two had started dating, the shooting was the only thing Bailey was never able to get Cody to open up about. What little bit of it she did know, she had learned from reading about the events online.

"Well... if you ever change your mind... you know you can talk to me about anything," She said softly before giving him a soft kiss.

"I know. Thanks, babe," Cody said. Looking into Bailey's eyes helped Cody relax. The warmth and kindness she provided had helped him a lot in their time together on the ship. After giving it a moment of thought, Cody decided it was time. "I... I think I'm ready to tell you... what happened."

"Really?" Bailey asked, "I mean... you don't have to talk about it if you don't feel comfortable."

"No... you make me feel comfortable. I care about you and I you deserve to know," he said.

Bailey already cared a great deal about Cody. To her, his willingness to open up to her about the darkest part of his past showed how much he really cared about her as well. She wrapped both arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. She felt his arm around her as well and listened carefully as he began telling his story.

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**(Author's Note: It's been a long journey, but we finally made it to the end. I want to thank everyone for sticking with this story and reviewing. You all have made it worth while. I never thought when I started writing this that so many people would develope such an emotional attachment to not only this story, but the specific characters with in it and more specifically to the character of Jordan. That I was able to take a completely made up character and make so many people care about him is a cool experience. I hope that I can continue providing that level of entertainment with more stories. I also want to let everyone know to stick around. While this may be the official end of the story itself, I've got a few extra things that will be posted as "supplemental" to this story that I think you will enjoy. Also, another very popular story of mine is about to make a comeback. By popular demand, my next project will be the completion of the award-winning story Moment of Weakness. I know a lot of you will like that and I look forward to your continued readership. Thank you all so much for, again, making this whole experience so rewarding.)**


	31. Bonus Chapter by Woundedhearts

**I Came to Visit**  
_By woundedhearts _

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(Based on the final couple of chapters too "Teenagers" written by the very talented Hurricane13.)

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_As I made his way through the cemetery, I felt the need to side step the various stones and markers that lay around the grave yard aligned in neat rows. As my mind filtered in the names searching for a specific one I shuddered knowing that my beloved was amongst them in this cold damp earth._

_I couldn't believe what had happened, I couldn't understand why, but could I blame him for the steps he took, when no one offered to help ease his pain. He was just a kid, someone in need of help and maybe a little understanding._

_I had seen the bullying that went on around him; I had seen the despair he faced each time he stepped off the school bus each morning. I knew what would happen as he walked through those doors, and I knew I could do nothing to stop the torment that would come from his peers._

_So truthfully the news came as no surprise, though it was sad, it was also in his mind justified. You can only push someone so far, before he lashes out in anger. I just wish everyone had realized that, I just wish he had known how much I cared for him._

_I knew he was hurting and being made to feel like dirt. I knew I should have said something, but it wasn't my place, or so I thought. I blame myself in many ways, because I saw the signs, and yet I didn't befriend him, and I didn't lend a hand when he needed some compassion._

_I'd see him around school and smile, but his eyes were always focused on one other. Cody Martin wasn't a bad guy but I also knew he couldn't love him the way I could. I knew that he couldn't give him what he needed, but that didn't stop him from adoring the blond boy, or stealing quick glances that only I saw._

_He was such a beautiful person, with such a tormented soul. If he ever was truly happy I couldn't tell. I learned to admire from afar, to keep my desires hidden; because I knew in my heart they wouldn't be reciprocated._

_No his heart was spoken for by someone who didn't know the treasure he held in his hands, but I did, I knew. I was such a fool to not speak up and let him know I was around. One word could have changed so much._

_But sadly that's all in the past, and I will always live with that regret and that heartache, for you my love are laying here now in this cold grave inaccessible to my touch. If only I could turn back the clock, I would walk up to you and take your hand in mine, and let you know how I feel and how much you were truly loved._

Kneeling down Mark Steelman laid a rose next to the tombstone sitting in front of him. Placing two fingers against his lips as he then traced the lettering on the flat surface. Feeling a warm wind surround him he smiled choosing to believe his thoughts had been heard.

_"Goodbye my tortured angel, sleep well until we meet I shall think of you."_

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(Hurricane's Note: As mentioned above, this bonus chapter was written by Woundedhearts. It was originally intended to be part of a collection, but the idea never came to fruition. Still, her efforts should still be made available for everyone to see so... here it is. Hope you like it. Please review and let her know what you think.)


	32. Making of

_**Author's Note: I was digging through some old files the other day and I stumbled across my original notes that I wrote the day I came up with the idea for this story. It's been over two years ago now so I was kinda surprised I still had them. With the pending finale of the sequel to this story, "The Fall and Rise of Max Russo," I thought it would be cool to share these with you, the readers. It will give you some insight into what the original plans were for this story and let you see how the story evolved from those plans. I wish I could just scan these hand written notes and post them here. I think that would be really cool and give you kind of an intimate look at the planning. Anyway, for your enjoyment, the original outline for the story, "Teenagers:"**_

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Teenagers

Character List and Background

Cody Martin - Twin brother of Zack Martin. Son of Carey Martin. Family lives in the Tipton Hotel where Carey is the hotel's lounge singer. The youngest of the twins, he is also commonly seen as the smartest and most sensitive. Cody loves school and tries to get along well with everyone he meets. He does get picked on alot because of his intelligence. He's very passive and usually tries to walk away when getting picked on.

Zack Martin - Twin brother of Cody Martin. Son of Carey Martin. Family lives in the Tipton Hotel where Carey is the hotel's lounge singer. The oldest of the twins, he is commonly known as the less intelligent and less sensitive of the twins. He is also more out going and popular and often has to defend his younger brother from bullies.

Jordan Farmer - The new kid. His family moved from New York to Boston during the summer. His parents are wealthy business people and are away on business trips leaving Jordan alone at home with his older sister who is also never home due to her partying lifestyle. He is very shy and quiet and is also very intelligent. He suffered severre bullying in New York and hopes to avoid it in Boston.

Tommy Hill - Cheevers High School bully. Plays on the school football and basketball teams and is not very bright academically. Often singles out Cody Martin for being a nerd and accuses him of being gay due to Cody's sensitive nature. Usually backs down when Zack steps up to defend Cody for fear of being kicked off the teams, but he's beaten Zack up after school twice.

Other Characters -

Barbara Brownstein - Cody's Girlfriend

Dakota Merritt - Zack's Girlfriend

Maddie Fitzpatrick - Zack and Cody's friend and the hotel's candy girl

London Tipton - Friend of Zack, Cody, and Maddie. Hotel heiress.

Carey Martin - Zack and Cody's mom

Tommy's Gang - Tommy's group of friends that encourage his bullying.

The teachers and staff of Cheevers High

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Story Summary -

A new kid in school starts getting picked on by the school bully, Tommy. After Zack and Cody step in to take up for him, the three become friends. Tommy continues making life miserable for Cody and the new kid, Jordan. Through their common experiences, Cody and Jordan become good friends. Jordan, who is secretly gay, developes a crush on Cody. When he finally expresses his feelings for Cody, he is turned down sending him deeper into depression. Eventually, his emotions boil over. His anger at constantly being picked on and his embarrassment over Cody's rejection take over. Using his father's money, he sets out on a mission to punish the people he feels have wronged him. Early one morning, he bursts into the crowded school cafeteria and opens fire on the students. In the end, it is Cody who tries to talk him down and stop the blood bath. Blinded by his passionate desire for revenge, Jordan blames Cody for breaking his heart and pushing him over the edge. He shoots Cody (killing him?) and ultimately takes his own life.

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_**(Author's Note: There you have it. Not much, but I hope you enjoyed it. Be on the lookout for the final chapter of "The Fall and Rise of Max Russo." Coming Soon.)**_


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